The Mystery of Aincrad
by zoepeanut
Summary: AU for SAO. A new mission arrives at the guild, one asking for as many wizards as possible to come and investigate a strange floating castle that has appeared near someone's home. Team Natsu takes the job, but there is more to this castle than meets the eye. Not to mention the mysterious man giving them the job refuses to provide any details of what he wants.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

Within the Fairy Tail guild hall, things were just as chaotic as usual. Cana was drinking, surrounded by others and challenging them to join her. Laxus was upstairs with his team, avoiding the rest of the guild. Near another table, Natsu and Gray seemed to be preparing to fight yet again. However, just as things became close to a battle, Erza walked over and immediately put a stop to it. Watching it all from her seat by the bar was Lucy. A small smile was on her face as she gazed towards her friends, shaking her head at their usual insanity.

"No jobs today, Lucy?" Mira asked her as she began cleaning off one of the glasses.

Shaking her head, Lucy sighed and turned towards the white haired wizard. "Unfortunately, not really. Natsu just came back from a fishing trip with Happy, and Gray had been on a job with Juvia to try and get her to stop bothering him again." That water wizard really was persistent. Smiling at the thought, Lucy slowly shook her head. "I'd do one on my own…but it just doesn't feel the same without my team."

"Why not go with Erza? She was around the guild while Gray and Natsu were gone."

Mira's suggestion sent a shudder down Lucy's spine. Imagining an entire job with Erza alone…it was a terrifying thought. "Um…I don't think I'm ready for the kind of jobs Erza would pick out…" Lucy laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head. It was the best excuse she could give Mira, without admitting that she was just afraid of being alone with the requip wizard.

Walking over to them, Wendy smiled and nodded towards Lucy. "Hello, Wendy! I see you've gotten back from your visit with Sherria at Lamia Scale." Mira smiled pleasantly at Wendy who nodded eagerly and sat down.

"Mhmm! Everything was so fun over there. Sherria and I even went on a job together. It was great!" Wendy turned towards Lucy. "So, what has everyone else been up to while I was away?"

Groaning, Lucy leaned over the counter. "Losing my ability to pay my rent…everyone's been so busy that I haven't managed to earn enough jewel to pay for it…and it's due by the end of the week…" Imagining her landlady's expression was enough to make her grimace in distaste. She had asked for an extension before when she was low on funds, and that had not been a pleasant conversation. Lucy had learned quickly that her landlady was renting out the place for money, not to any helpless child on the streets. She had heard that if she was even a day late on her payment, she would be out on the streets in a heartbeat.

"Well, what about that new job that just came in?" Mira set the glass down behind the counter, leaning over the surface towards Lucy.

"New job? I didn't see anything other than the usual monster killing jobs on the request board…" Lucy trailed off, glancing towards the bulletin board to make sure she hadn't missed a new sheet of paper.

Smiling, Mira nodded. "That's because I haven't even put it up yet. Apparently, there's a very wealthy man looking for a lot of wizards to go investigate some strange building that just appeared near his home. Let's see here…" Mira turned around, rummaging through one of the shelves before pulling out a sheet of paper and holding it in front of her. "It was given by a man named Kayaba Akihiko…according to this, he's asking for the request to be allowed to be taken by multiple teams of wizards, which is strange for such a simple task. However, the reward is one hundred thousand jewel per person, so he must have a limit of some kind on how many wizards can come…" Her brows furrowed slightly as she scanned it further.

Sitting up straighter, Lucy's eyes went wide. "A hundred thousand? _Per person?"_

Nodding, Mira smiled and set the sheet down on the counter. "Yep, that's what it says! All you have to do is figure out who is responsible for the sudden appearance of this strange…floating castle. At least, that's what it calls the building in the flyer."

Leaning forward, Lucy frowned and stared at the counter. "That's…it just doesn't make sense. Why pay so much money for such a simple job? There's got to be something more to it." Reaching over, Lucy grabbed the request herself and began skimming it over. As she did so, Wendy moved closer to read it alongside her.

"Well…it doesn't really say much else about it." Wendy spoke up first, while Lucy re-read it to confirm that she hadn't missed anything. "Sure, it's a little ways away, but I'm certain we can handle a job like this. Plus, if anything does happen, we'll have a whole bunch of wizards around to help deal with it, right?"

Frowning, Lucy slowly began to nod. A smile began to form on her face slowly, and she turned towards Wendy. "Right. As strange as this job is…I think it just might do the trick. Thanks for the help, Mira!" Getting up, Lucy turned around to head over to Natsu and Gray. "With a reward like this, I'll have no problem paying my rent!"

With renewed confidence, Lucy strode through the guild hall. Wendy followed behind her, staying close to Lucy's side. "Hey, Lucy! You wanna join us over here? I bet you could show these guys how to hold down some liquor!" Cana shouted out from her seat on the table, holding a mug out towards Lucy in the air. Ignoring her comment, the celestial wizard just sighed and shook her head.

Natsu and Gray had taken a seat at a table near the back corner of the guild. By them, Erza stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "Hello, Lucy. It is good to see you. I was just telling Natsu and Gray that we should be taking another job together. After all, it has been quite some time since we've ventured out as a team." Erza smiled over at Lucy, who nodded in agreement.

Behind her, Natsu grinned and nodded. "Yeah, and I saw a good one to take on the request board. There's this job that wants us to go out and hunt down a—"

"Hold on a second, I told you that job was insane. No one wants to go out in the desert to hunt down some monster." Gray glared over at Natsu, who scowled in response.

"Oh yeah? Do you have a better idea, ice princess?"

"Yeah, how about that job up there asking us to protect some merchant traveling to Crocus? Considering we're bringing Wendy along, we shouldn't be going on some reckless job like that." Gray crossed his arms over his chest and stood up, staring down Natsu.

Rising to his feet, Natsu seemed to move to return Gray's glare. "Well, I say she's plenty strong to deal with it. Plus, we'll be around to help out. So, I say we're taking the monster hunting job."

Clearing her throat, Erza turned towards the two boys that were getting a little too close to a brawl in the guild. Seeing her look, both of them shuddered slightly, backing down in an instant and giving Erza a cheerful smile. "You know what…I just realized, we haven't let Lucy pick a job in a while." Gray said it nervously, rubbing the back of his head and glancing towards Natsu.

Smiling, Natsu nodded and gave out a slightly nervous laugh. "Yeah…so, Luce, what job do you want to take?"

Smiling proudly, Lucy placed her hands on her hips. "Actually, that was what I came over here to talk to you about. Mira told me about this new job request we just got, and it sounds pretty interesting to me."

By her side, Wendy smiled and nodded. "Yeah, and it won't be nearly as dangerous as the missions you like, Natsu. No offense…but I think Gray's right. I'm not ready for jobs like that…at least, not yet."

Stepping closer to Lucy, Erza let her arms drop to her sides as she tilted her head slightly. "Really? What kind of a job is it? Were we requested for another acting job? My talents in the theater are becoming widely known…so of course, they wish for us to return." Remembering that job made Lucy cringe, grimacing as she shook her head.

"No…nothing like that." Lucy rubbed her arm slightly, watching as Erza's excitement seemed to drop at her comment. "But the pay is amazing. Some guy is offering a hundred thousand jewel per wizard to have some castle by his house investigated."

"That's odd. Most jobs pay a set amount, regardless of how many wizards that take it. Are you sure it pays per wizard?" Erza crossed her arms back over her chest, studying Lucy closely.

Nodding, Lucy glanced over towards the others. "I questioned it too, but that's what the request says. Plus, this Kayaba guy must be loaded…apparently, he wants as many wizards as possible to come out and investigate. Likely, that means we'll be working with other teams when we get there…but, it'll still be a lot of pay, for a simple job."

Grinning, Gray nodded. "Sounds good to me. It might be a bit boring, just investigating some dusty old castle, but for that kind of pay, we'll be just fine."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Natsu nodded in agreement. "Plus, if they're looking for that many wizards, there's gotta be something dangerous around for me to fight. I'll beat up anything that tries to get in our way."

Turning around, Lucy nodded and began moving towards the exit. "Looks like we've got it all figured out then. Come on, let's get going. I've gotta make sure we finish this job soon, before my rent's due." With that, she began picking up her pace. Her team followed behind her, moving into the streets of Magnolia and towards the train station. It wouldn't be long before they left for the town of Leron, where the rumored castle existed along with the home of the wealthy man who had offered up the job to wizards all across Fiore.

 **I really loved this idea when I started it...but I believe work interfered and I lost track of where I was going. So, any help with this one? Credit will be given if your idea inspires me. I also have a poll up to find out which story I should be focusing on for writing. Essentially, I planned on merging the worlds of SAO and Fairy Tail for this one...though I lost track after only a few chapters. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or SAO

Leron was a small town on the northern border of Fiore. A train ride from Magnolia to the town took nearly four hours, and left Lucy dealing with a rather disgruntled dragon slayer when they first arrived. In terms of size, Leron was actually larger than Magnolia, despite the remote countryside area. Being on the border between Fiore and Bosco, it was the first place visitors saw when coming into the country from the neighboring nation. As such, Fiore seemed to have invested a bit of money in the construction of this place. Buildings seemed to be far newer and cleaner than in Magnolia, with fresh, clean paint covering the sides of the buildings they passed.

Coming from the train station, Lucy could see areas that were actually designated for tourists too. Shops lined the streets, many of them with signs posted inviting people in to purchase one-of-a-kind souvenirs. Others looked for traveling wizards, trying to sell magical items in various magic shops scattered between the souvenir stores. As if that wasn't enough, as Lucy observed the street they walked down, she saw windows displaying various outfits for clothing stores and tailors trying to make money off of residents and travelers that wanted some kind of 'exotic' clothing to wear. To be honest, Lucy never understood why people thought outfits from Fiore were all that different from other places, but she wouldn't complain. After all, the Heart Creuz brand she loved so much pretty much relied on tourism to stay alive. Without that belief, she wouldn't be able to buy her favorite outfits anymore.

Even the stone streets she walked on looked clean and maintained. Trash was no where to be seen, and while there were people milling about the streets, there seemed to be an order to how they walked. Most people were lively, openly talking with groups they passed by at least for a brief moment. The environment was friendly, and Lucy found it rather entertaining to watch, especially as tourists seemed to get flustered by employees coming out from shops to offer them deals on their wares.

Part of Lucy wished she had been able to take the flyer with her for their job. It would have made it easier to remember where to go, rather than just relying on the address she had written down from the paper. Maybe she should have studied the directions better before leaving, but it was a little late now. Glancing down at the small paper the address was written on, Lucy sighed and began turning down another street. This tourist area wasn't where she needed to be, that was for certain. Likely, their client lived somewhere more residential, so that was the better place to start.

The more they walked, the further away from the crowds they got. Here, houses were more common. Most were still clean, like the stores, but amongst them, Lucy could finally see signs of older homes that were wearing down from weather and time. Cracks were seen in some of the painted walls, and a few had stone steps that had pieces breaking off. With little space between each home, it left the area feeling almost too small to live in. Yards were not taken care of well, with most having overgrown grass bending over the sidewalks they moved across.

"Let's see here…the house number we're looking for is 3285…these seem to be moving in descending order…" Lucy scanned the nearest home for its address. "Wait, 4809! We can't be that far away…I checked to make sure this was the right street, too!"

She felt a hand pat her shoulder, making her turn to see Natsu giving her a smile. "Don't worry about it, Luce. So long as it doesn't involve another train, I think we can find this place with no problems!"

Shaking her head, Lucy sighed and felt her shoulders droop slightly. She didn't want to walk that far for this client. Somehow, she had imagined Kayaba's home was much closer to the station than this. However, they had no other options. It wasn't like they had any other form of transportation to use, and they had already come this far. So, while her excitement had waned, Lucy still continued trudging onward towards the home she sought out.

The further they went, the more sparse the houses became. Lucy found it odd that they were getting so close to leaving Leron, and it made her study her surroundings more closely. The grass was a bit more lively than it had been before, somehow greener now that they were away from the more developed areas of the town. Shrubs and other plants became more common between homes, decorating their yards. It seemed like the larger the yard was, the more cared for it became. Homes with more space took the time to neatly trim their bushes and trees, and they kept everything neat and orderly around the place they lived in.

When they passed house number 3526, Lucy glanced up and groaned. She could hardly see the next house in her line of sight. It was practically a speck in the distance, with a large field between the yellow house by her side and the next one down. "This is taking forever…is it just me, or are these houses getting farther apart every minute?"

"Relax, Lucy. I'm sure we'll get there soon enough." Gray crossed his arms over his chest and kept moving on behind her.

By her side, Wendy nodded and smiled. "Plus, the weather out here is really great. It feels nice to just go out and walk sometimes…and it is peaceful in this area." Glancing up at the sky, Lucy couldn't disagree with her. The sun was out, and the sky was practically clear of clouds. A light breeze kept her body from overheating in the warm weather, and compared to some of the other areas they had gone on jobs, the scenery really was pleasant. Sure, a few homes had made Lucy cringe to even imagine living in, but lately, they had looked like great places to be in.

When they finally arrived at their client's home, Lucy's legs felt like they were about to give out from the strain she had put on them. Her feet were aching, and rather than waiting to get inside, she decided to just sit down and rest in front of their yard. The home itself was smaller than she expected. It looked like a one-bedroom home, and it wasn't any bigger than the ones that had been smushed together before. A single window was on the front of the house, just next to the door. The entire building was painted a light blue-gray, with the door standing out as the spot of white on the outside. The coloring scheme seemed odd to her, but she wasn't going to question their client's taste when they were offering so much for this job.

As she sat down, Lucy leaned back and let the sun warm her face. "Lucy, stop lollygagging and get moving. This is our client's home, and we need to be presentable before we speak with him." Erza's order made Lucy sigh and shake her head. Opening her eyes, she began moving to get up. However, before she moved too far, she froze. Her brown eyes widened, gazing up at the sky. A slight gasp escaped her mouth, and one hand lifted slightly to point at the air.

"Hey…is it just me, or is that….a flying building?"

Her question made the others follow her gesture, gazing up at the sky. "Holy hell…so that's why this guy needs wizards to investigate the castle." Gray stared at it with wide eyes, while Wendy bit her lip.

"I don't think any of us can even reach that place…it's too high up." Glancing over at the others, she began to play with her hair. "Maybe…maybe we should go back and find a different job…"

"No, we're Fairy Tail and we will not give up just because of a small challenge like this." Erza stood confidently, gazing at the floating castle. "I'm certain the other wizards arriving will have skills in their arsenal that allow us to inspect this castle more closely. We will just have to wait for them to arrive."

Staring at the castle, Lucy continued feeling an odd sense of dread. It didn't look like a normal castle, either. Something about the design was far more circular than the kind of castle she had imagined. Even from this distance, she could see the gray color on the outside, looking almost like a massive tower spiraling up into the sky. Lower down, she could see that it looked a bit wider, but other than that, it looked more like a single, large tower than a castle.

After a moment, Lucy shook her head and rose to her feet. "Well, first things first. We've gotta talk to this client and find out what they want us to do in the first place. The job was rather vague…so, hopefully, he'll clarify what he wants us to do about this floating castle."

With that, Lucy walked up to the door of the home. The driveway was short, leading directly up to the white door. As Lucy knocked against the wooden surface, she felt her team begin to crowd around her, waiting for their client to answer. "Are they even home?" Gray's question came from Lucy's left side. It had taken him a few moments to speak up, and when he did, Lucy bit her lip and tried knocking again.

"Maybe we should go back to town and try again tomorrow…" Wendy sounded nervous as she waited with everyone.

Nodding in agreement, Erza began to step away. "I agree. Our client must be out on business today. We should have had the foresight to attempt to at least inform them we'd be arriving soon…due to our error, it is our duty to not burden Kayaba with our thoughtless behavior."

"I don't think we did anything that bad…" Lucy trailed off as Erza closed her eyes, hanging her head to her chest. With the grimace on her face, she really did seem to be blaming herself for all of this.

Shrugging, Natsu began to move away as well. However, just as Lucy was about to join them in leaving the home, the door behind them swung open. The hinges creaked slightly as it did so, making Lucy turn and gaze behind her. Standing in the doorway was a very young man, probably about Natsu's age from appearance alone. His hair was dark black, with long bangs that seemed to partially hang into his eyes. He wore a dark black robe with a white sash-like fabric draped over the tope, tied in a not over his left shoulder. A locket seemed to hang at the base of his throat, and his dark black eyes observed them calmly. "I apologize for not coming to the door sooner…I do not usually receive visitors."

His voice was calm, with a faint sadness to it that made Lucy pause. However, it wasn't her place to ask him about his personal life. Instead, she smiled and held out her hand to the boy. "Not a problem! My name's Lucy. Sorry to disturb you, but are you Kayaba Akihiko? The man who put out the job to investigate that castle?"

The boy stared at her hand, as if it was a foreign object to him. He made no move to take it, and after a moment, Lucy let her arm drop to her side. They stood in silence for a moment while the boy studied them, glancing between each wizard steadily. After a moment, he nodded and stepped aside. "I see. Please, come inside. I did not expect anyone to come quite so soon for the job."

Slowly, Lucy began to enter his home. Inside, the place actually looked much larger than it was on the exterior. Right when walking in, there was a living room that was plainly decorated. White walls made the room seem clean, while a black sofa rested alongside of it. Next to the sofa was a tall lamp, black with a light cover hiding the bulb within. Along the wall to the left was a large bookshelf, painted black rather than the usual natural wood tone Lucy saw. Resting within, books seemed to cover every inch of the shelf. Most seemed to be written in a foreign language, while others seemed to have worn to the point where the title couldn't even be read.

Seeing her gaze, Kayaba seemed to smile ever so slightly. "Books are quite an intriguing thing, aren't they? I find them as a decent means to escape…though lately, I find it difficult to focus on them as much as I used to."

Giving him a slight smile, Lucy nodded. "I've got a friend that reads a lot more than I do…I haven't been able to read as much lately either."

There was another pause, leaving the room filled with silence. Lucy really didn't know what he was waiting for. Gazing at the walls barren of decoration, she wondered what made him want to live here. There was nothing that told her anything about this man decorating the home, other than the books. The yard was unusual too, with no signs of a single plant. Instead, it seemed like Kayaba had paved it all over, leaving the home surrounded in a large patio. A black metal fence was what had separated the driveway from the yard, though it rested awkwardly in the center of all the cement. Inside the home, there were no other odd decorating choices. Seeing that there were no flowers or anything decorating inside, Lucy began to wonder if he just had some kind of severe pollen allergy. Getting rid of the plants would make it easier to tolerate, she supposed.

Wendy moved forward, taking a seat on the sofa and leaning back. "This place is so much bigger than it looks! I mean, it looks like there's even a staircase over there. From the outside, it didn't look like there was enough room for a second floor."

She sounded amazed, but Kayaba only frowned and nodded. When he didn't speak, Gray began to scowl and step closer to him. In response, their client stepped back to keep some distance between himself and those in his home. "Hey, I don't care if you've got secrets or are antisocial or anything else, but you hired us for a job. If you want us to do it, you've gotta start speaking up about what the hell we came out all this way to do."

Kayaba folded his hands in front of him, nodding and glancing out of the single window in the room. "The job…right, I suppose I should speak a little about it. However, it won't truly begin until enough wizards have gathered…for what I have in mind, I need more wizards here to truly implement my plans." There was something odd in his tone, a darker note that hadn't been present before. "For now, you are welcome to stay here and wait. I will not force you to deplete your funds on inns waiting for this job I've given you to begin. As others arrive, they are allowed to do the same. When I deem our group sufficient for the job, I will return and bring us all into the castle."

"Wait, you'll bring us to the castle?" Lucy frowned, watching him with narrowed eyes. "I thought that was our job, to investigate it."

"That's one way of putting it. However, simply getting to the castle was not part of my request." Turning towards them, the man seemed to unclasp his hands and let them rest by his sides. "I am a wizard as well, though I have never been a part of any guild. I have the skills necessary to bring all of us to that castle…however, from there, the rest is a task I leave to you. If you wish to hear more details, you will have to wait. I find it tedious to repeat myself, especially when it is so easy to simply be patient and wait for others. Once we are inside the castle, I will inform you of just how you will complete this job of yours."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man. "I don't know…something doesn't feel right about this." He sniffed the air, staring down the man and stepping closer to Kayaba.

A chill went down Lucy's spine when Kayaba's only reaction was a smile. "You are welcome to leave, if you do not think you are fit for this task. More than enough wizards will come, regardless of if you choose to stay or not. Either way, I'd rather not be around to deal with more tedious company until absolutely necessary. I look forward to meeting with you wizards again, and to see if any of you are strong enough to finally bring my dreams to reality." With that, Kayaba seemed to vanish from sight in an instant. Blinking at the spot he had once been, Lucy stayed still for a moment. He used teleportation magic, which made sense, but there was something about him that didn't seem right. Either way, as she glanced at her companions and saw them settling in, she knew they would not be leaving. After accepting a job, it would look bad on Fairy Tail if they turned away now. So, Lucy moved over to the bookcase, grabbing a book at random before getting settled in to wait. Hopefully, others would arrive soon. Otherwise, she just might spend too much time thinking about the ominous tone to that man's voice, wondering just what kind of dreams an isolated man like Kayaba might have that they could bring into reality.

 **For those of you that are looking to see Kirito, he will be appearing next chapter (hopefully). Thank you to those that reviewed. I hope this chapter gives you a bit of a bigger clue as to what I had in mind for this story to become, even if I didn't really plan the plot out completely (pay close attention to Kayaba's description early on. I bet a few of you can figure out who I've used to kinda combine with his character from SAO. More than a few if you read my other Fairy Tail stories, actually). Sorry if I disappointed anyone looking for another altered version of SAO where characters are trapped in the game. Those just seemed a bit common to me...so I tried taking my own spin on merging these two worlds. Either way, I did get stuck about half-way through drafting the next chapter, so ideas and feedback are welcome! Reviews will push me to try and figure out what I actually want to do with stories like this.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or SAO

It took months for Kayaba to return. During that time, a ton of wizards began crowding around the house. Teams from commonly known guilds like Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus arrived, letting Lucy and her friends catch up with Lyon and the others during the first week. Later on, Team Shadowgear arrived from Fairy Tail, along with a few others saying they wanted to join in on the job. However, even with all of the teams that had taken down Oracion Seis and the extra wizards from Fairy Tail, Kayaba hadn't come back.

Soon, more people showed up. Some refused to name the guilds they came from, making Lucy a little nervous. One group kept to themselves, wearing dark black cloaks and refusing to speak to anyone outside of their guild. Lucy thought she had glimpsed an odd guild mark on one of them. It looked kind of like a coffin with a face on it, and it was rather disturbing to see. When that wizard caught Lucy looking at it, the other girl had actually pulled out a small dagger and pointed it at Lucy, giving the celestial wizard a harsh glare. "If you tell anyone about this, you're dead, got it?" With that, Lucy had only nodded and decided it was best to mind her own business.

That group made Lucy wary of any other wizards over the next three weeks, however. Seeing their actions and their secretive ways, Lucy wondered if they were actually a dark guild. Why Kayaba would go to one of them for help was a mystery, but as long everyone stayed alive, she would tolerate them. When yet another group arrived, they decided things had become too crowded around the house for everyone to stay inside. Exploring a bit further, they discovered a door that actually lead to a basement of the home. Underneath the first floor, there was a huge, almost cave-like room that was lined with doors all around. Dimly lit with only a few torches to use, it was kind of creepy, but it did allow for enough room for all the wizards to rest when needed.

There was a gap in arrivals during the second week, leaving them all wondering what to do. Lucy and Natsu ended up finding some board games hidden in a closet and started passing the time with their team playing them. Sometimes, Levy and her team would join in. However, a lot of it was pretty boring, with nervous glances shared between strangers in the house.

Then, the silence ended on the eighteenth day of waiting. A knock echoed in the room, making the wizards gathered upstairs grow still. When no one moved to get up, Lucy sighed and walked towards the door. "Hello?"

On the doorstep stood a group of odd wizards, dressed in uniforms of white and red. The only exception was a boy amongst them, who stood in front of the others with a calm face. Dark black hair made along with a long black coat made him look a lot like Kayaba, in an odd way, but there was something a bit more youthful to this guy's eyes. "Hi! Sorry we're so late…we came to see if that job was still open for us to take. Are you Kayaba Akihiko?"

Shaking her head, Lucy gave him a slight laugh. Mimicking the noise was a girl by his side, shaking her head at the boy. "Seriously? How can you not realize that Akihiko is a guy's name? Honestly, I feel like I'm the only one with common sense in our guild these days." Holding a hand out towards Lucy, the girl smiled. She had long, light brown hair, and the majority of her dress was white. A short red skirt was visible from underneath it, with a rapier attached to the white belt on her waist. "I'm Asuna, and we're from the Knights of the Blood Oath treasure hunting guild."

"Treasure hunters? Wait…I thought this was a job for wizards?" Natsu frowned at them, walking forward to stand next to Lucy. As he did so, Lucy shook Asuna's hand with a smile of her own.

The black haired boy sighed and shook his head while the other members of his group began to push past Lucy to enter the house. "I don't know about that. The job we got said there was some strange castle that appeared. According to the person who gave us the tip about it, we were offered all the treasure we could find in the place, so long as we told this Kayaba guy what was inside."

The man folded his arms behind his head, shrugging as Lucy continued gaping at him. After a moment, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head. "Well, I guess that's fine. What is going on in that guy's head, anyway? Wizards, dark wizards, and now treasure hunters?" A sharp look was shot her way from one of the mentioned dark wizards, making her quickly move on. "It kinda makes you wonder what he wants from us, exactly."

"I don't know, but I suppose it could be useful having a lot of us there." Asuna crossed her arms over her chest, frowning slightly. "With a structure that large, it'll take a long time for anyone to search through. By varying our abilities, we are better suited to dealing with any threats we come across." Watching her, Lucy began to realize that this girl must be the tactician of their group. She was excellent at analyzing what they were about to be facing.

"If anything gets in our way, I'll just burn it down." Natsu smirked at the girl, holding up a small flame in his palm while Lucy sighed and shook her head.

Blinking, the boy by her side actually looked intrigued by Natsu's magic. "Ooh! I've never seen a wizard use magic before. So you can create fire?" He watched Natsu nod, snuffing out the flame as he moved to stand next to the boy. "Interesting. I imagine it somehow works by igniting the oxygen in the air…no, then what is the point of this ethernano I hear about?" He began murmuring, touching his chin before shaking his head slightly. "Sorry, I've done a bit of research within the sciences. Magic fascinates me because it pretty much violates every rule I've learned about. I'm Kazuto Kirigaya, but most people just call me Kirito." He gave Natsu a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head.

Holding out his hand, Natsu nodded. "Well, I'm Natsu Dragneel, and I'm a dragon slayer. Nice to meet ya!"

With wide eyes, Asuna turned towards him and gasped. "Dragon slayer? You've slain actual dragons?"

Scowling, Natsu narrowed his eyes at her. "Why the hell would I do that? Igneel taught me everything I knew, and I've never once met a dragon that wanted to hurt people."

Smiling, Lucy turned towards Asuna to provide a better explanation. The other girl was staring at Natsu with a slightly forced smile, shaking her head before Lucy spoke. "It's not called that because he kills dragons. Long ago, his style of magic was designed to fight them off…when dragons and wizards were at war. Only a dragon can actually teach someone that kind of magic, from what I've heard."

"Oh, I see. Sorry if I offended you, I guess I just made the wrong assumption there."

Natsu nodded, and things seemed to settle down once more. "So, did anyone here actually meet Kayaba, or are we all just assuming he's around this place?" Kirito made his comment after a moment of silence.

Blinking, Lucy smiled and nodded. "My team was the first to arrive. We did actually meet the guy…he was kind of weird. He didn't want to tell us much about the job until enough people had arrived…once he left, he just kind of gave us this place to stay in until he deemed our numbers good enough for his job."

Hearing that, Kirito frowned, placing a hand on his chin and focusing his gaze at some spot on the floor near Lucy's feet. "That is unusual…considering the amount of people I already see gathered, he must be expecting an unusual amount of resistance to this job. Has anyone searched the area around the castle itself?"

The girl wasn't the only one capable of analyzing situations for danger, Lucy realized. "Um…maybe? There's a lot of us here…it kinda makes it hard to keep track of who has gone and done what."

Nodding, Kirito's arms fell back to his sides. "Well, I guess that's one place we could start. Come on, Asuna, let's go check out what we're dealing with for this job." With a wave, he turned to exit the house with his companion. The girl paused before leaving, giving Lucy and Natsu a smile and a slightly bow.

"It was nice meeting you! We look forward to working with you in the future, Lucy." With that, she turned and left, leaving the house sitting in the same uncomfortable silence as before.

As they explored, the day became even more unusual. After such a large gap in new arrivals, Lucy and her friends had grown to expect few people to come to take the job that had been given out weeks ago. However, another knock came almost half an hour after Kirito and Asuna left. Their companions seemed to glance up at the sound, focusing on the door while Lucy moved to answer it once more. Since her team was the first to arrive, it was always one of them assigned to answering the door and responding to any questions asked.

"Hey, I heard that there was a job around here looking to hire some merchants to give some appraisals on the value of whatever treasures were found." An older man with dark skin and bald hair seemed to smile at her, holding out his hand. "My name's Agil, and I'm with the Coin's Broker merchant's guild."

Taking his hand, Lucy began to feel a bit dazed. This was getting a bit too varied for a simple investigation job. "Uh…yeah, my name's Lucy…I'm from Fairy Tail, the wizard's guild." The man nodded, giving her a smile as he released her hand.

"I've heard many things about that guild. You guys do tend to be a bit reckless on your jobs, don't you?" When Lucy glared towards Natsu in response, Agil chuckled slightly. "Don't be worried, I'm not complaining. After all, the more you destroy, the more rare certain items become. It makes my job more profitable, if you get my meaning."

Sighing, Lucy shook her head and returned her focus to him. "Yeah, I guess. It still gets pretty annoying when your partner is the reason you are forced to give up all of your reward to pay for damages to the town you were in." Once again, Agil looked rather amused by this, but he crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to grow more focused at that.

"As much as I'd like to hear more about your guild, I am afraid I did come for a mission. Time is essential in our business, and if this job is already taken, I must be moving on to another one."

Stepping aside, Lucy gestured for him to find a spot in the living room. Currently, Natsu was gathered at a table with Erza, Gray, and Lyon, playing some card game. Watching them was one of the wizards from the guild Lucy suspected was a dark guild, though she was sitting in the corner silently. Having just joined them, the new people from the Knights of the Blood Oath were all carefully setting their gear down near the walls, some of their weapons leaning against it as they moved to try and join. "Come right on in, we've all been waiting for the job to actually start. Kayaba, the man who gave it to us, kinda vanished on day one."

She gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head. "Odd, the job description struck me as an urgent matter. Regardless, if I am the first merchant here, I will gladly take his generous offer." Based on the offers Lucy had heard thus far, she was beginning to wonder how much this job was costing Kayaba. What made that castle so important to him in the first place?

Following after him, Lucy let the door shut and rejoined the others. "That was odd. Two groups in one day?" Erza raised an eyebrow at her, looking up from her hand of cards. Honestly, Lucy didn't really know many card games. From where she sat, she could tell that each person had a partial stack of cards by them. While the process was a mystery to her, all she saw were people flipping over cards, then one person taking the whole stack depending on what was shown.

Ignoring the game, Lucy nodded and leaned back. "I thought so too. Maybe there was a delay in getting word out about the job?"

Hearing that, Agil took a seat and shook his head. "Not likely. This job was in our guild for nearly a week before I claimed the position. Few merchants have mobile positions, and as tempting as the offer was, it is hard to relocate on such short notice. Luckily, I was already in the process of trying to switch locations for my shop, so this delay isn't hurting me too badly."

"Why were you leaving? I mean, was business bad or something in your town?" One of the strangers from the treasure hunting guild spoke up, joining them around the table in the room.

Shaking his head, Agil gave them a slight smile. "Nah, business was great. The problem was getting supplies in quick enough…unfortunately, my shop is set up quite a ways from any suppliers, or treasure hunters for that matter. This new building opened up not far from a treasure hunting guild, and proximity to one of those often leads to opportunities to get your hands on rare and unique items to sell. So, I took the chance and packed up shop, hoping to start a new customer base over in Miscra."

"Miscra is a dangerous place, because of the guild located there. Treasure hunters often fight each other, competing for the same treasures…and even when that doesn't happen, they sometimes get their hands on spells coveted by dark guilds." Again, one of the members of the Knights of the Blood Oath spoke up, clearly understanding this better than the wizards gathered around.

Looking up from her cards once more, Erza frowned at him. "And I thought taking wizarding jobs were dangerous. Just how often do you get attacked at your home?"

Smiling at her, the man leaned forward. He was slightly older than the others, with gray hairs just starting to grow within his otherwise black hair. With light stubble lining his jaw, he looked like he had been traveling for some time before getting here. "Oh, more often than you'd think. We're always expecting trickery and backstabbing attitudes from other treasure hunters. You wizards have it lucky, since if two wizards take a job, the reward is just split. For treasure hunters, there's only ever one treasure…and it isn't exactly easy to split something like that between two people."

"I don't get it." Natsu frowned, glancing towards the man. "I mean, if it's so dangerous, why don't you guys just learn magic? Wouldn't it be easier to defend yourselves?"

Before he could reply, Agil spoke. "Actually, most members of treasure hunting guilds aren't capable of using magic. Really, only about five percent of the population has the ability to become a wizard, making it rather surprising to see how integral magic is to society. In many ways, I think we rely too much on that power…you never know when such a gift will cease to exist."

"You got a problem with magic?" Gray leaned forward with narrowed eyes. By this point, almost everyone had abandoned the card game in favor for the conversation.

Lifting his hands as if surrendering a battle, Agil gave out a nervous laugh. "No, not at all! Just stating facts, really. Magic is a wonderful tool…it is just that history shows that the number of people born as wizards is on the decline. Soon enough, there will be no wizards left in this world…and we will be forced to figure out how to survive again without them."

"Have you taken any precautionary measures for this predicted event?" Erza sounded genuinely curious, tilting her head at the man.

Giving her a slight wink, Agil smiled and shook his head. "Now, I can't reveal all my secrets, right? As a man that trades in information as well as rare goods, I suggest making me an offer to receive more details."

With that unexpected response, an odd silence fell over them once more. The game resumed, and Lucy bit her lip, wondering how to ease these people into working together better. Her gaze kept flickering over to the girl in the corner, the dark wizard that seemed to study their every move. However, just as Lucy opened her mouth to try and start up a conversation once more, the sound of yet another knock on the door made them all pause. "Okay…now that's just creepy. Why is everyone coming now, of all times?" Gray's question only made Lucy swallow, nervously rising to her feet this time. Something did feel off about this, but maybe they were all traveling a distance to get here.

Opening the door, Lucy was not surprised to see another group gathered with weapons and gear, much like the Knights of the Blood Oath had been. Seeing that as a sign of more treasure hunters, Lucy hung her head, afraid of future battles between the two groups. They seemed to dress in similar coloring, with their tops being mostly red and covered with black chest plates for protection. The one in front seemed to have a headband to match, along with somewhat spiky brown hair. "Oi, my name's Klein, and we're treasure hunters!" The man declared it proudly, jutting his thumb towards his chest with a grin.

"Now, I know we're here late, so I'm not going to fight for your treasure, little girl. Besides, it isn't really my style to battle with chicks…" He trailed off, laughing nervously with pink cheeks and rubbing the back of his head. Narrowing her eyes, Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and waited to see if he would actually finish his introduction any time soon. "Anyway, the point is, we're here to race you guys to the rest of the treasure and claim it as our own. These are my friends, and together, we form Fuurinkazan, Fiore's most renown treasure hunting guild!"

"Um…the job hasn't actually started yet…so no one has any treasure anyway." Lucy didn't quite know what else to tell him, seeing his eyes widen in surprise.

"Wait, it hasn't? Man, we just got lucky guys!" His friends seemed to cheer for a moment with him, celebrating their luck. "Thanks for the info, we'll take it from here…ah, I guess I never caught your name."

"Lucy…" Hanging her head, she hoped this would end soon. As she moved to shake his hand, she felt her skin crawl when he began lifting it to his mouth to kiss the back of her hand. Seeing the path it was taking, Lucy immediately glared at him and jerked her arm back, sending her foot flying his way instead. "Get away from me, you pervert!" With a massive kick, the man went flying into the wall, falling to the ground dazed from the force of her hit.

"Ow…man, that girl packs a real punch…" Klein rubbed his head, trying to shake of the pain.

By his side, one of his friends reached out to try and help him up. "Dude, she didn't punch you…"

"What difference does it make?" With that, he rose back to his feet, smiling at Lucy and giving a slight laugh. "I guess I did kinda deserve it, though. Sorry to bother you, miss, I think I'll just go get some ice for my head now…" Still keeping his hand pressed to the back of his head, the man moved towards the stairs. Lucy felt a little bad for kicking him, but part of her still wanted her revenge. That was why she remained silent and didn't point out that the kitchen was actually down the hall, not upstairs.

Letting out a sigh, Lucy turned to try and join her friends again, only for yet another knock to interrupt. Were all these people taking the same train or something? It was getting on her nerves, to the point where she wondered if she'd even get the chance to sit down today or not. "Who could it possibly be now?" Her greeting was not friendly, not after the last guy that came through. However, at the sight of two young girls, she began to regret her harsh comment.

"Um…sorry to bother you. Most people call me Silica, and this is my friend, Suguha. We're both from the Alfheim Group…a non-profit organization trying to fight for equal treatment of animals and humans. We were told that someone here would help fund a campaign of ours to save the dying species of Wyverns…" She trailed off, gazing around at the others who had gone silent at her words. "Is…is something wrong?"

Before Lucy could speak up, Asuna and Kirito appeared behind them, returning from investigating the ground beneath the floating castle. As Kirito saw the dark haired girl with Silica, he seemed to blink with wide eyes. "Suguha? What are you doing here?"

Turning around, Suguha made an odd squeaking noise of surprise, jumping away from him. "K-Kazuto?" With a lifted eyebrow, the boy nodded and seemed to wait for an explanation. "Well…our group got invited here. You know, the one I was invited to join that was trying to save all those animals…"

"You always had a soft spot, didn't you?" With a slight grin, he ruffled her hair and pushed past her. "It's good to see you again. I've been so busy with the guild that I haven't gotten the chance to head back home and say hi. How's everything been?"

"Fine…" Suguha seemed to hold her hands close to her chest, avoiding his gaze. "Um…Alfheim is getting a chance to try and save Wyverns…"

"Wait, Wyverns?" Asuna blinked at her in surprise, staring with wide eyes. "Aren't those things basically smaller versions of dragons? Why would you want to keep monsters like them alive?" She spoke as Kirito moved to try and get her to stop, but it was too late.

Glaring at her, Suguha approached the other girl with a scowl. "And why shouldn't we? Silica explained all of this to me when I joined Alfheim, each animal has just as much of a right to live as us."

Nodding in agreement, Silica gave her a slight smile and tried pulling Suguha back. "Yeah they do…but we really don't have to fight over a small opinion like that. It is true that Wyverns have been known to harm people, but that only comes when we invade their territory. Really, if we just understand them better and respect their space, we could all live in peace together."

In an odd way, the girl's calm voice reminded Lucy of Wendy. She was about the same age as the dragon slayer too. "I think I'll just let you guys figure this one out…I don't know how many more strangers I can handle today." Lucy began to back away, only for her words to get their attention again.

"Hold on a second! Lucy, right?" Kirito stopped her, making her frown and turn back towards him. "I'm glad you agreed to let us stay here. We didn't really see much around the ground under the castle…but the closer we got, the larger that place seemed to be. Thinking about its size…even with this many people here, it could take months to fully explore that place inside and out."

Hearing that, Lucy began to look at the ground, uncertain of how much longer they would be waiting. "That's why we think Kayaba has waited so long. Based on what he was asking for, he was actually kinda smart with how he phrased each request. They were tailored to each kind of guild…and by asking for so many people to come, he's at least lessened the large time span a project like this would take." There was an odd admiration in Kirito's voice as he continued on. "It's just something to think about…really, I thought everyone would feel better knowing there was an actual reason for waiting this long."

Nodding, Lucy smiled and took a step closer towards the others. Following after her, the newcomers began joining their greatly expanded group in the living room. "Actually…it kinda does help. Thanks for looking into it, Kirito. Though…I guess I should warn you, we've got another group of treasure hunters in recently." At that, Klein seemed to come back down the stairs, still rubbing his head from where it had slammed into the wall. When Kirito spotted him, the boy seemed to blink, studying the other treasure hunter closely.

"Klein?"

"Kirito?"

Groaning, Lucy slammed her head into her palm, tuning out the rest of their odd reunion. Much like Suguha and Kirito, these two seemed to be odd friends, despite being in rival guilds. With so many people randomly knowing each other today, Lucy decided she'd already had enough. She'd figure out the rest of the details tomorrow, after getting some sleep and letting someone else take control of greeting the new arrivals for a change.

 **Alright, we've finally got the others introduced! Sorry to disappoint those of you looking forward to Kirito having magic, but him being a treasure hunter just seemed to suit his canon abilities better. Plus, it gives me a bit more variety in characters and skill sets to work with, without having to spend too much time working out a style of magic for his character to use. Hopefully, this lets me come up with some more of an actual plot as I keep writing. Reviews and ideas are always welcome, so leave them if you get the chance!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Sword Art Online or Fairy Tail

After the massive onslaught of newcomers that day, fewer people joined. Groups began to form from within the different guilds, groups of people that seemed to get along better than others. Wendy and Silica seemed to get along well, and were always talking or playing some kind of game outside. Klein and Kirito spent a lot of time together as well, when Suguha and Asuna weren't trying to fight for his attention. It didn't take too long for Lucy to realize that both girls had a crush on the oblivious boy, and it made it even more disturbing when she asked Kirito about how he knew the girl in the first place. Apparently, she was his cousin…and that was all Lucy wanted to know at that point. When he managed to pull himself away from all three, he seemed oddly interested in spending time with Natsu, trying to learn more about magic. Apparently, the kid had managed to find and read ancient books that spoke of the fundamentals of how many spells worked, but he had never actually witnessed it in action. Even on jobs, he normally only encountered non-magical threats like beasts defending treasures, fellow treasure hunters, bandits, or traps.

A few stragglers even came in that weren't affiliated with any guild, but had just overheard about the job from rumors. Seeing as how they were simply looking for sheer numbers to continue on, they were allowed in. This was when they met Sinon, a girl that seemed capable of firing any firearm, be it magical or not. Lucy thought she might have even been stronger than Bisca, but she would never admit that to her other guild members.

Then, one day, while everyone was scattered in various rooms of the house, an odd swirling spiral of smoke seemed to appear from no where. Seeing it, Lucy backed away quickly, along with the other wizards and non-wizards that had been nearby. As the spell dissipated, however, inside was revealed to be the young smiling face of Kayaba Akihiko. "I apologize for the delay, but it appears as if we finally have enough gathered for the mission. Please, have everyone meet me underneath the castle at once. There is an announcement I wish to make before taking us all inside." With that, he moved towards the door, leaving everyone staring after him in silence.

"Uh…sorry to break this awkward moment, but who was that?" Klein spoke up first, pointing towards the door.

With a frown, Natsu seemed to scowl at the same spot Klein pointed towards. "Kayaba. Seems like he's finally shown his face again…why does he have to be so mysterious about this job, though?"

Blinking, Kirito turned towards Lucy with wide eyes. "Wait… _that_ was Kayaba? For an eccentric rich guy, he seemed kinda…"

Asuna finished for him. "Young?"

Nodding in agreement, Lucy only began moving towards the stairs. "Either way, it looks like it's time to get going. Go on ahead, I'll work on gathering the others." She didn't want anyone else being forced to interrupt whatever the dark guilds were doing inside. At least she had managed to avoid being hated by them simply by keeping her mouth shut. Granted, she slipped up once, but it was minor and she didn't exactly specify which guild was a dark guild.

A few moments later, and a massive crowd was gathered beneath the shadow of a humungous flying castle. Looking up at it, Lucy couldn't help but feel an odd sense of dread in her stomach. Something about the design looked ominous, despite how peaceful the sky around it was. The twisting metal-like structure just made it seem dangerous in a way, and standing beneath it, Lucy couldn't help but feel nervous. What if whatever kept it afloat stopped? The image of them being crushed beneath the massive structure made her shudder, before focusing back on the man in the center, the one who gave them this job in the first place.

Raising a hand above his head, the whispering voices of the gathered individuals began to cease. Once silence filled the air, the man's hand dropped and returned to his side. "It is good to meet you all. I see we've managed to gather everyone requested for this job…though I suppose it isn't entirely unexpected. I did place out sufficient motivation for everyone with my request…and to that end, allow me to introduce myself as Kayaba, the one who brought you all here for this unusual mission."

People studied him with frowns, sharing glanced amongst themselves. A few were shaking their heads, some even taking steps away and looking ready to leave. "Before you decide to vacate this property upon the assumption that I am not in possession of the rewards I promised, allow me to reassure you. Rewards will be given up front, before the completion of your task." With that, people began gasping. Lucy's eyes widened, wondering just how insane this man was. Didn't he realize the risk he was taking? After being paid, people might decide to just leave without finishing the job in the first place.

Oddly, the man smiled at their shocked expressions. His gaze seemed to linger on the dark wizards who seemed to be smirking at the prospect of getting out of here without doing any actual work. With his head tilting slightly, he continued on once the murmurs about his sudden declaration quieted down. "With that said, know that I still will not stop you, should you desire to leave now. I will not lie to you; this job is not for the light-hearted. There will be dangers involved, as there is in any job offered to those in your respective professions." Silica and Suguha seemed to frown at this, sharing a look of confusion. Animal rights activists hardly had to worry about dangerous battles in reality, Lucy thought.

"Not only that, but I promise you, this job will be time-consuming. It could take years before all of this castle behind me, the one which has become known as Aincrad, is fully explored. In fact…" He paused for a moment, his smile getting oddly wider. Instead of making him seem happier, however, it only had the effect of making his expression more grim when it was paired with the darkening of his black eyes. "I highly suspect very few of you will leave before the end of your natural lives. With this warning in place, I will ask, are you still willing to continue forward?"

Reactions to his warning were varied. Lucy rolled her eyes at his dramatics, clearly seeing his over-exaggeration from a mile away. Natsu snorted, smirking over at Gray who smirked back and nodded in agreement. "We're Fairy Tail, and we don't back down from any job." Gray's announcement was spoken, making Erza nod.

Other wizards from Fairy Tail grinned at him, joining their team's side. "Gray is right. It would look bad on the guild if we stopped now." Levy smiled, glancing towards Lucy and nodding in encouragement. By her side, her own team eagerly awaited the continuation of the job.

"You guys worry way too much over the reputation of a single group." Kirito shook his head at them, sighing and rubbing the back of his head. "That's why I avoided joining a guild for so long…you end up focusing too much on how your actions reflect back on everyone else. Either way…guild or no guild, this job doesn't seem so tough to me. I bet we'll finish it in less than a year, so long as we all keep our minds focused on it."

Coming from the guy who estimated such a long timespan, even with their large group, it meant something to Lucy. "If Kirito is going, so am I." Suguha smiled, nodding towards her cousin.

With a smile, Asuna took Kirito's hand, avoiding his gaze with pink in her cheeks. Kirito seemed to blink in surprise, before blushing himself at the contact. "We're in this together. There's no turning back now." She squeezed his hand, while Kirito nodded, avoiding staring at her while rubbing the back of his head.

Watching them, Suguha seemed to pout, though her cousin didn't notice her expression. The moment between Asuna and Kirito ended when Klein butted his head between them, slinging an arm around both of their shoulders. "Hell yeah we are! Mission investigate the creepy castle is a go! Who's with me?" No one responded immediately, leaving the others staring at him in awkward silence.

With hearts in her eyes, Juvia rushed towards Gray and broke the moment. "If her beloved Gray is going, then Juvia will follow!

More people began declaring their agreement to join. Lyon's calm comment came next. "If even Gray is managing such a task, then I can do far better than him." Despite his words, the man's eyes seemed to focus on the water wizard fawning over his rival. "Let me prove my love to you, sweet Juvia." His last comment was just a whisper, not heard by those with any distance from him.

"If it means saving my friends, I'll do it!" Silica came in next.

"Silica is right…even if we aren't strong, we should all stay with our friends and do everything we can to help." Wendy joined in, smiling at her new friend.

"Men! We do not let the parfum of fear send us running from danger! We let it vitalize us into rushing forward into battle! Men!" Ichiya came next, along with the rest of Blue Pegasus nodding in agreement.

As the single declarations became mixed together, transforming into a chorus of agreement, Kayaba inclined his head and closed his eyes. "Very well. Then I suppose I shall begin with your rewards." With that, a massive magic circle seemed to appear on the ground behind him. While Lucy couldn't see the actual details of it from the angle she stood at, she could feel its power. Those standing inside immediately began rushing away, fearful of its effects. Purple light began to glow from within, clouding whatever was going on from view in a brilliant flash. When it was over, a pile of bags seemed to remain in its place. "I've had these bags designed with practicality in mind. Inside of each bag, you will find 100,000 jewel, as promised to each wizard here. Those of you who are not wizards are welcome to take one as well…since I cannot easily offer treasure that is not currently in my possession."

The treasure hunters were staring at it with narrowed eyes, along with the wizards. Lifting an eyebrow at them, Kayaba stepped aside. "You are welcome to check the validity of my statement, though I do wish to avoid wasting too much time. I've spent long enough waiting for this day to come…I do not wish to linger here for too long." His gaze seemed to drift upward, gazing at the castle with a strange longing look in his eyes. "To put it simply, each bag has been enchanted. While I have not truly tested it, they can theoretically hold an endless amount of objects, be it cash, weapons, clothing, or any other sort of item you may wish to store away. For our purposes, I thought it would be far more convenient to carry around a simple bag, rather than an excessive amount of jewel. Considering the bag also manages to lessen the weight you feel while carrying it, it is also a more practical choice as well."

As a few wizards stepped forward to claim their bag, Lucy could see them opening them and peering inside. Most frowned, ultimately reaching inside and letting out strange yelps as their arms began to disappear within. However, once their hands were removed, cash was taken with them, making their eyes widen. Seeing that there was at least some truth to his words, others began eagerly picking up the pace, grasping for their own bag before they were all taken away. Kayaba simply watched in silence, waiting for them to all return to their previous gathering, circling around where he stood.

"I thank you for your bravery…and your sacrifices." It was an odd way of phrasing gratitude, Lucy thought. With narrowed eyes, she watched as Kayaba seemed to glance at the house in the distance, his gaze oddly distant before he began shaking his head. "Regardless of how this ends, I believe I have finally managed to create the very thing I was looking for all along…"

Now, Lucy's confusion seemed to be shared among the others. Looks were passed between everyone, a few clutching their bags tighter to their chests. Each bag seemed to be made out of plain, black cloth. White straps were added to make them easy to carry, but the design was lacking in terms of fashion. Either way, Lucy still ended up keeping it on her back, not wanting to lose her reward money so early on. Others still carried them. As Lucy scanned the crowd, she could see a few people taking small steps backward, as if afraid of the man speaking in odd riddles.

With his gaze focusing back on those around him, Kayaba's expression changed from the odd distant wistful look, to one of dark satisfaction. "Do not say you were not warned." Lucy's pulse seemed to leap at that comment, her heartbeat beginning to pound with sweat beading on her skin. Should they have left? He did say it was dangerous…but this job wasn't deadly, was it? Before, she had been certain, but the look on Kayaba's face now had her doubtful. As a massive magic circle began to form under their feet, Lucy heard others begin letting out sharp shouts, alarmed at the sudden use of magic. As people began to move to avoid the spell, they found a barrier in place keeping them trapped inside. "I told you before, that was your last chance to leave. Now…brace yourselves. With the completion of this spell…I shall welcome you all to Aincrad."

 **Please review and tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

In an instant, everyone standing below the castle disappeared. For a second, Natsu thought he was floating. It smelled like air, and he figured he was in the sky somewhere. Oddly, it reminded him of the few times he had traveled with Igneel as a child. The sensation of falling, and the feeling similar to wind rushing through his hair, it brought back memories he usually avoided thinking about. Considering how upset he usually got when he thought about how Igneel vanished, it was always best to just focus on the friends he currently had instead.

The main difference Natsu noted was in what he could see. Instead of being able to look down at the ground, seeing little but blurs of color, all he could see was light. It looked like almost pure white gathering around him, lifting him from the ground and making his body feel almost weightless on its own. However, that sensation did not last for long. After only a few moments of floating in this odd white space, his feet seemed to slam onto the ground, feeling the hardness beneath his soles in an instant. Natural sunlight seemed to make him squint slightly, and as he glanced around, he saw he wasn't alone.

The huge crowd that had gathered beneath the castle now seemed to be gathered in an odd town. Smelling the air, Natsu tried to detect who else was in this place. Oddly, the air just smelled weird here. He could hardly pick up the scent of the person next to him. Wondering if there was something about the air itself messing with his nose, Natsu frowned and began scanning the crowd.

Others were doing the same as him. Their eyes scanned the town, seeing that they were standing in what looked like a central plaza. Buildings surrounded the area, but at the very center stood an odd fountain. The sound of the water running through it was the only thing that cut through the still silence that had settled over them. Even stranger yet, however, was the sight of Kayaba himself standing on top of the running fountain. Water seemed to spray on the lower half of his robe, soaking into his clothes and making it cling to his legs. The man still didn't move away, and instead smiled at those gathered within.

"It worked…" His words were a slight breath, almost like a sigh of relief. Despite being so quiet, as the only person speaking, his voice carried to those surrounding him.

"What did you do to us?"

"Where are we?"

"I don't feel right…"

"Where is the exit?"

More shouts echoed around them, people throwing Kayaba an onslaught of questions. In response, Kayaba's gaze seemed to focus on them, frowning for a moment. "Did I not tell you of the length this job would take? I did not design this place expecting to leave…"

His words cut through the shouts, making everyone grow silent once more. Seeing that he had their focus, the man inclined his head slightly, resting for a moment and letting the sound of the fountain fill the air. "As for your other questions…I suppose it is simple enough to provide an explanation of my plans, now that your job is about to begin. Though, perhaps calling it a simple job is no longer accurate…" He trailed off, looking lost in thought before focusing once more.

Watching him, Natsu couldn't help but feel an odd wariness settle inside of him. He still couldn't smell a thing, and oddly, the guy's voice didn't sound right either. He couldn't exactly tell what was wrong with it. Maybe the volume or the depth was off, but it still wasn't the same as he remembered. "Where to start? There is so much to tell you…yet so few good ways to explain the truth. Most of you will hate me, that much I am certain of…yet I had hoped we could start this journey together…as friends." It was an odd sentiment, coming from the guy that had randomly decided to drag them into the middle of no where.

Others seemed to glare at him for the comment. "Friends?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have taken us away without warning!"

"Yeah! It'd be just wrong if we wanted to be friends with the guy that brought us here and locked the exits!"

Speaking up above the shouts, Kirito tried to reason with them. "Hey, everyone! We haven't had the chance to really look around. How can any of us be certain that there isn't a way out of this place?"

A few began to share looks, seeing reason in his comments. "He does have a valid point." Erza stepped in, patting the boy on the back. Her armored hand made him stumble forward slightly, rubbing his back in the spot that would likely bruise from her motion. Natsu had felt those pats himself in the past, and he knew how hard her armor could be. "We should not let fear take control of our senses. From the looks of things, Kayaba merely transported us to a city nearby. We are all safe, and we are all still in possession of everything we had with us when we left. Nothing has changed, if you think about it in that manner."

Others began to smile, slowly nodding in agreement with her words. Encouraged by her actions, Lucy moved forward and smirked triumphantly. "That's right! We're getting out of this no problems. Besides, it isn't like we have a reason to stick around, not when this guy refuses to explain his job to us."

"You said it, Lucy." Suguha grinned at her, joining the blond. "We're not his little puppets, no matter how much jewel he promises to pay us."

Lifting an eyebrow at their discussion, Kayaba cleared his throat loudly to catch their attention. "Making assumptions is a foolish notion, one that often leads to failure and disappointment." Some of their smiles began to fade, their eyes widening at his words. "Your original assumption was correct, or at least, more accurate than the one others are suggesting. The exit to this place…is sealed with organic link magic."

"What the heck is that supposed to be?" Asuna looked lost, frowning at the wizards who seemed to have gone pale at his declaration.

Kirito was grimacing, while Natsu's teeth clenched tightly together at his words. "Organic link magic is supposed to make an actual person's life the source of a seal. Essentially…unless we kill the person used to create this link, the exit will never open." Kirito seemed oddly knowledgeable about such spells, but Natsu figured it came from the guy's research into the scientific side of magic. He had rambled on so much about what he learned that Natsu ended up tuning the guy out most of the time, though there were a few comments that were interesting enough to actually listen to.

Nodding towards Kirito, Kayaba smiled. "I find it rather amusing that the one who understands such magic is a non-wizard. Tell me, boy, what is your name?" His question seemed rather random, but the hairs on Natsu's neck were standing on end. Just the way this guy spoke gave him chills, not to mention the way the lack of being able to find his scent kept bugging Natsu.

Stepping forward, Kirito glared at the man standing in the fountain. "Kirito, and I'm not going to let you get away with this. Who is the source of the link? I'll destroy them myself if I have to, and end this nightmare before it even begins!"

"You will find that quite difficult to accomplish, I imagine." With a smile, Kayaba seemed to step backward, raising his arms into the air as if indicating his entire body was free to be targeted. "You see, I think I've finally discovered the proper method to begin our little game here. I suppose it should begin with an apology, for I have lied and deceived a countless number of individuals in my path to creating this place, and in bringing all of you here. In fact…you could say that Kayaba Akihiko doesn't even exist, but at the same time, he is the one you must kill to escape this place."

"Doesn't exist…but you said…" Lucy seemed to stutter slightly, her arms shaking. Seeing that, Natsu stepped closer towards her, not wanting this fear to take over her too much.

Turning towards her, not-Kayaba tilted his head. "Did I ever once claim that to be my identity? I allowed you to call me as such, and I then ordered you to allow myself to do the same. Small little phrasings, often viewed as pointless to others, take on great meaning to one skilled in the art of being deceivingly honest."

"But that's nothing but a contradiction! You can't be honest if you are deceiving others…" Asuna spoke, trailing off and avoiding his gaze. Oddly enough, Natsu couldn't help but feel like this guy had pulled that very contradiction off successfully, though.

Shrugging, the creator of this place seemed to focus at some distant point in the crowd, rather than on any individual. "Think of it what you will. My statement remains true. The final seal will break upon the death of Kayaba Akihiko, the man who does not exist. Until then…I suggest you follow my instructions, for this is when your job truly begins." Whispers were growing louder around them, but Natsu remained silent. He was torn between wanting to attack this man right now and wanting to wait and make sure his friends were okay with all of this. "This place, as I stated before, is Aincrad, a floating castle whose design has been modified and perfected over the last three centuries."

The sheer time invested in this project made Natsu freeze, his eyes widening at the man in the fountain. "You see, this entire creation is based on magic. Resources replenish themselves, due to complex magic circles interwoven into the construction of the very ground you walk on. Animals, monsters, and other lifeforms will do the same…a never-ending cycle fueled by a lacrima that I have been pouring my own energy into every night…for nearly two hundred years." The impossibility of his statement made Suguha smirk, shaking her head at him.

"Ha! You are full of lies. No one can live that long!"

Her declaration seemed to annoy the man, who narrowed his eyes for a moment. "I am over four hundred years old, you would do well to listen and understand what your true predicament is, young girl." That seemed to make her cringe slightly, her triumphant smile dropping when she saw the serious glint in his eyes. This man was insane, regardless of who he was. That much was becoming clearer every second. "Magic is also interwoven into the doorway between each level of this castle. Much like with the final exit, organic link magic is tied into the very animals and monsters that have been created to reside in Aincrad. Kill one, and you will break a seal that can grant you objects, jewel, or something even as simple as resources for survival. These things will become vital…as the castle itself blocks the magic within wizards from activating."

Hearing that, Natsu froze. His inability to smell, and the weird way this guy's voice was sounding, it all made sense. His dragon slayer senses were gone, because his magic was blocked. Gazing at his hands, he tried to create even a small flame, just for a moment. However, he felt no flow of energy within him, not even a hint of the familiar warmth that came with his power. With his head raising, he saw others doing the same, trying to activate various types of magic all around.

"For those guarding doorways to other levels, killing them will grant entry, and more space and resources for surviving in. At the very top…that is where you will find the final key to the exit, if you still wish to escape, that is." There was an odd smile on his face, one that made Natsu wonder what game he was playing at. "Everything you need to survive exists in this world…in this perfect world where magic does not exist…"

"Perhaps Agil was on to something before, with his warnings." Erza's comment came quietly, her hand clenched into a fist and a grimace on her face. "I should have listened to him more carefully!"

"What the hell? So we're just supposed to…live in this place? Where are we gonna find food? What kind of 'resources' are you talking about?" Klein's objections came loudly from the back, though he was pushing his way forward.

"All kinds, for whatever goal you had in mind. There are forges for those that wish to make weapons and fight…instructions left for those who wish to learn new trades…libraries for those simply wanting to study…ovens for those wishing to cook…schools for children, though I doubt any arrived to take a job of this nature. In fact, there are even buildings designed to function as stores, homes, and restaurants…any business you can imagine, it can be established and run here. Your starting funds are what will allow an economy of sorts to be born, though you are more than welcome to enforce a barter system in its place."

The man seemed oddly excited as he spoke, each description bringing out an odd light in his eyes. Strangely, he seemed oddly happy to be here, trapped in this place. "And before you claim that this is unfair…I am also trapped in this place, without access to magic. As I stated before…I had hoped we could begin this journey as friends. Such a thing would be impossible if we were placed in different circumstances…therefore, I decided to trap myself alongside all of you, so I could truly experience this world for myself."

Laughing nervously, Silica glanced around and rubbed the back of her head. "Is that all?" By her side, Wendy seemed to be watching her carefully. "I mean…it doesn't sound so bad. Sure, there's a lot of people I'll miss, but…I'm certain this place has a lot of amazing things to see and do. It'll be fun, right?"

"If you survive, then perhaps that will be the case." The creator's comment made her smile fade. "I did not mention monsters for no reason. They do exist in this world, for what world is not complete without such beings?"

Oddly, his words held a certain logic to them. Natsu couldn't remember a time when Fiore didn't have some kind of problem going on that Fairy Tail was being hired to fix. "How could you do this to so many people?" Wendy cried out now, touching Silica's shoulder when the other girl seemed to be on the verge of tears. "What could you possibly gain from all of this?"

Strangely, the man seemed to stop for a moment. His head hung low, with his bangs covering his eyes for a moment. After silence settled over the crowd, Natsu tried stepping closer to inspect him more closely. However, as he slowly lifted his head, Natsu noticed moisture on his cheeks, along with the first sincere smile he had ever seen on this man. "Peace." With that, the man finally began walking out of the fountain. Water dripped onto the ground as he moved, but he seemed unfazed by the weight from the added water in his clothes. Instead, he was given a wide berth as he walked, while people stared at him with a mixture of fear and confusion, wondering what could possibly peaceful about a cage filled with monsters.

 **So, I just got a new review for this story tonight and it made me excited to get the next chapter out! What do you think of my variation of Aincrad in the world of Fairy Tail? I know a lot of you were disappointed to hear about Kirito's lack of magic, but I hope this chapter clears up why I didn't provide him with such a skill. In order for him to still be ahead of everyone else in this situation, he has to have had experience fighting without magic...hence his status as a treasure hunter instead. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

The creator of the game seemed to have vanished without a trace. As thousands of people stood in that first town, no one had been brave enough to stop him. Kirito was no different, uncertain of the truth of his words and desperately hoping there was some other way out of this. Others began to whisper amongst themselves, the clammer growing louder every moment the man was gone. "I can't use my magic!" One wizard was continually waving their hand in the air, trying to accomplish something with their power. Others were acting similarly, reaching for a power that didn't exist in this place.

Frowning, Kirito began walking around, wondering if there was something he was missing. Basically, they were all brought here…just to live in a different world. The jobs themselves weren't even lies; Kirito and his friends would be able to keep any treasure they found inside this castle, and the wizards had been given the money they were promised. While here, it was likely that they would explore the castle too, since that would be the only way to find this mysterious man whose death would lead to their freedom. The thought of that made Kirito grimace, his stomach queazy over the idea. Tying such a thing to a person's life…it just wasn't right.

"Kirito…what are we going to do?" Asuna came closer to him, watching as a few began to panic. Shouts were heard as people began to unfreeze from their spots, running away from their central location in this strange town.

"It's gotta be lies! I'm getting out of this nightmare right now!"

"I'm right with you!"

"Everyone, the exit has gotta be somewhere outside of town."

More shouts came in, trying to direct the swarm of people now rushing to leave. However, Kirito couldn't help but feel that they were wrong. The man that brought them here wasn't joking. While he had been deceptive, he had not lied. "It won't work." Kirito's voice was too quiet to be heard by anyone other than Asuna. "That man…he wasn't lying to us. We really are trapped here…until we find and kill Kayaba Akihiko."

By his side, Asuna stepped closer, though her head turned away and faced the ground. "Oh no…but didn't he say Kayaba didn't exist? Kirito…there has to be something else we missed."

Nodding, Kirito narrowed his eyes. This was their true job, he realized. Identifying someone as that name…maybe it really was far simpler than anyone thought. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and moved through the crowd. A few people were gathering with friendly faces, trying to reason out their situation. Whether they liked it or not, they were all stuck here. For now, Kirito needed allies who he could trust to work forward with this.

Technically, that meant he should be appealing to his guild. The Knights of the Blood Oath treasure hunters were one of the largest guilds in all of Fiore, even larger than most wizards guilds. To be honest, Kirito didn't even know an eighth of the people in the guild, and out of the ones he came here with, Asuna was really his only friend. Kirito didn't even want to join them in the first place, but unfortunately, he had overestimated his ability with his swords. Challenging their guild leader to a duel in the hopes of getting Asuna some time off, he had agreed to join their treasure hunting guild if he failed. Until then, he had been working on his own, finding his own treasures and selling them independently. It wasn't a bad way to get experience and make a living, but being in a guild he never wanted to join didn't necessarily give him allies he trusted.

That man, the one he challenged, had proven to be something far worse than any of their members imagined. Very recently, a huge shift had occurred in the guild once it was revealed that Heathcliff had been arrested by the rune knights, of all people. While none of their guild members knew the full story, rumors were spreading that Heathcliff had found some magical artifact on one of their missions, and kept it for himself. Some even thought it was linked to the legendary Black Wizard Zeref. By refusing to give that object away to anyone else, and by using it somehow for his own gain, he had been taken into custody. No one had heard from him since, and his trial was still pending. The guild was almost falling apart without him too, with some members trying to prove Heathcliff's innocence and others trying to vote on a new leader. Overall, Kirito had just wanted to get away from the huge mess, and Asuna had agreed. So, with a few other members that needed a break, they decided to take this job instead. Now, he was willing to bet most of them were regretting coming along.

Instead of going to them, Kirito went to the one person he had actually spent time talking to before this happened. The dragon slayer seemed to be standing still, glaring at the fountain with his hands clenched into fists by his sides. "Hey, Natsu!" Kirito walked to stand by his side, waving at the boy. Turning towards him, Natsu frowned and studied him with narrowed eyes. "Look…things are seeming pretty bad right now. You got any ideas on what to do next?"

"I'm gonna find that bastard and get some answers out of him." Natsu's glare seemed to leave no room for argument. His nostrils flared for a moment, before his scowl deepened and he snorted. "Damn it…he took that away from me too. I can't even smell 'em anymore. What the hell is wrong with that guy?"

"Who knows?" Kirito shrugged, glancing around as more people seemed to join those randomly charging into the streets to search for an exit. "All I know is that we're stuck here for now. Know anyone that can try to calm them down? I'd step up myself…but I'm not really good with people." Rubbing the back of his head, Kirito gave out a slight chuckle. He spent more time obsessing over the treasures he found than he spent actually working with others. Heck, he barely even understood how to act around his cousin, and they had been raised as siblings.

Shaking her head, Asuna placed her hands on her hips. "Really? You went to _him_ to try and reason with others?" Kirito knew Asuna had rarely spoken to Natsu, but even without talking, it had become apparent that the guy liked picking fights with others. Even his own guild mates found themselves fighting against the guy, which was strange for Kirito to see. "Look, if you need someone to get these people to calm down, you should have just said something." With that, Asuna walked forward towards the fountain, before turning and facing them with a sharp look in her gaze. Pulling out her rapier, she slammed it against the stone streets, leaving a clanging noise echoing above the noise of the voices.

Slowly, people began to quiet down and turn towards her, seeing her standing tall before them. "Everyone, I understand that we are afraid and concerned, but this is not how to get through this!" Her voice cut through, speaking above all of them. Some people snorted at her comment, turning away and restarting their old conversations. Others rolled their eyes, waving her off and returning to their search for an exit that no one would find. Seeing that, Asuna seemed to hesitate, biting her lip nervously. "Please! Just listen to me, we need to work together to get through this!"

"And why should we listen to some pretentious treasure hunter? You don't know what it's like to lose your magic, girlie!"

Others seemed to echo the one wizard's sentiment, grumbling about in the crowd. "This is bad…at this rate, they're going to turn on each other." Kirito frowned, trying to think of a way out of this. However, Natsu sighed and moved forward, standing by her side.

"Oh yeah? Well, I do. My name's Natsu, and I was a dragon slayer. This place is already getting on my nerves, and I wanna hear what this chick has to say. If it gets us out of here, I'd say listening to her is worth it."

Asuna blinked at him, her eyes wide as Natsu gave her a slight smirk. Nodding in return, Asuna smiled and turned back to face the crowd that had quieted down with Natsu's announcement. "As I was saying…we have no reason to doubt that man's words. However…if you wish to search for an exit anyway, we should organize groups to do so. Create maps of this place, develop an idea of where we are…and then settle on deciding if we truly are trapped or not. Thus far…that seems to be the most common decision of the people here. Does anyone else have a suggestion on where to start?"

With a hand on her chin, Erza seemed to consider for a moment. "Organic link magic is not something to take lightly. Breaking it without magic is impossible, so our only solution is to kill the one responsible. With that being said…I would forgo searches of the exit. Exploration of this world as we live in it will provide enough answers regardless of if we truly search for one or not. Instead, I recommend we attempt to identify our true enemy, Kayaba Akihiko the man who does not exist."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Another wizard spoke. Kirito thought his name was Lyon, but he could've been wrong. "We have no clues as to his identity, and the only person who ever utilized that name has vanished from sight. If that was our plan, we should have taken up that man's offer to begin this journey as allies, even if it was a deceptive plan."

"Why can't we just try and figure out how to live in this place first?" Silica spoke quietly, interrupting before the argument could go any further. She was hugging herself tightly, her shoulders shaking as she stood by Suguha's side. "I mean…this place is different from our home, right? That man said there would be monsters…he said it was dangerous. So many of us don't even know how to survive without magic…so why can't we teach the wizards how to survive before just rushing in to battle?"

Placing a hand on her shoulder, the young blue haired wizard seemed to smile and shake her head. "I know…but the more time we spend here, the more our families will worry back home. We'll figure something out, Silica. I've spent my whole life being helped by others…and I know that even with magic, I'm not that strong. This won't be that different from what I'm used to, and we'll adjust as we move forward."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Agil seemed to add in another suggestion. "Training…escaping…neither of these plans truly work unless we can think of a way to work together. This castle, whether we like it or not, is our new home. We've got jewel, we've got gear…but we have no government, no economy, and no basis for how to regulate ourselves. Working together…while I'd love to say we'd all get along and just play by the rules from back home, I'm not that optimistic. I'd say our first goal is establishing some form of order, and getting used to this new society before moving forward."

Others began to listen in, trying to think of their own suggestions for first moves. A girl in a dark black cloak stepped forward next, her head covered by her outfit. "I say you are all fools. This place is exactly what was dreamed of four hundred years ago…a place where death can reign supreme above all else. Fear for your lives, and fight solely for yourselves…thinking we can work together is the act of blind idiots who do not understand the powers that work above them." Turning around, she began to walk away. Others in similar outfits moved to follow her. "My name is Veronica Kerding, and we are Laughing Coffin. We are going to seek out the one who created this place…and help him ensure that it becomes everything it was meant to be."

Silence seemed to follow for a moment, no one knowing what to say about them. However, Agil used it to his advantage. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about! We all just watched as she threatened our safety, and none of us can do a thing about it! Where's the law enforcement? Heck, where are the laws in the first place? These are all things we need to consider especially when we know we are likely going to be here for quite some time."

"I dunno about that…I mean, what if the exit really is just right down the street or something?" Klein tried to calm him down, but even he didn't sound confident in his words. Watching Klein, Kirito could see the signs of his friend trying to be optimistic in a dark situation. The guy was normally pretty upbeat and happy, able to just roll with whatever was thrown at him. Kirito had liked that about him when they first met, both going after the same treasure. It had been before he joined the Knights of the Blood Oath, so Kirito had been alone. The guy had been a newcomer to treasure hunting too, just trying to find a job he could do with his friends. Seeing how lost Klein was, Kirito had decided to step in and help out when they activated their sixth trap in a row just trying to get to the treasure.

Frowning, Lucy seemed to glance away from them. "Yeah…but I also can't imagine it'd be that easy. Nothing ever really ends up being that simple for us." With a sigh, she glanced back up towards the others. "What about combining a few of the ideas? While we work towards establishing some form of leadership and rules around here, those of us from wizard guilds can start getting to know others by training. It wasn't like we ever got that close before coming here, after all."

She had a valid point, all things considered. "Sounds great, but how are we going to train without weapons?" A shirtless man with dark black hair spoke. He was usually hanging around Natsu and his group, and Kirito thought his name was weird, a color of some kind. "If you ask me, we need to focus on building up the ability to make weapons to survive. That guy said we'd find everything we need to do exactly that, because without weapons, we're just fighting monsters with our fists."

In that aspect, treasure hunters were at an advantage here. They brought their weapons with them, or at least some of them. "A valid point…unfortunately, I cannot access my own arsenal to provide you with one, Gray." Erza spoke, closing her eyes and hanging her head slightly. "Regardless, are there any among us that can forge a blade? Building up our arsenal would be an excellent first step towards ensuring we can defeat this enemy blocking our escape."

"Hold on a second!" Asuna stopped them, just as a few people began to raise their hands to speak up. "As great as all of these plans sound, we still need to agree on the best path to move forward with first. So, thus far our options include search for the exit, identify Kayaba, establish some form of government, train and strengthen those here, or create more weapons. Did I leave anything out?" No one added anything further, while Asuna smiled and clapped her hands together. "Great! Then I say we put it to a vote. Are there any objections to leaving the decision up to a popular vote for now?"

No one added any objections, making Kirito smile. Asuna was brilliant at this, at taking charge and leading these people towards a peaceful solution. "Alright, then raise your hands to place your vote. All for searching for an exit?" Those that were already partially down various streets seemed to begin raising their hands. A few within the crowd joined, obstinately refusing to believe they were trapped. "Next, all for identifying Kayaba?" Hands fell, while others moved to place their vote. The process repeated for each option, with Asuna listing them out and watching people decide on what to do next.

"Alright, based on the votes, it appears as if our first step is to form some form of regulations and rules by creating our own government!" With a smile, Asuna stepped forward, crossing her arms behind her back. "See? It isn't that hard to work together like this. Now, let's move on to ideas for our government. Everyone, please state your ideas one at a time, and we will proceed from there on how things will be ran from here on out."

 **And I've got another chapter ready! Sorry for the long wait, classes are almost over for this semester at least. Thank you to Captain Imaginat for the reviews. In response to those, unfortunately, as I explained in the last chapter, there will be no magic within Aincrad. The entire concept that started this story was me wanting to create a real-life version of Aincrad in the world of Fairy Tail...meaning a magical floating castle that blocked all use of magic inside, that also was inescapable without 'clearing' all floors (or in this case, killing the right enemy.). For everyone else, feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or SAO

Six months. That was the amount of painstaking, boring, wasted time they had spent discussing and debating how they wanted to rule over themselves in this world. At first, it had seemed like it would be simple. People wanted to keep the rules pretty much the same in here as they were in real life. The issue was in their smaller population. Enforcing those rules, especially with Laughing coffin around, required more force than they had. Wizards refused to let treasure hunters take control of it, distrusting the other group. At the same time, treasure hunters seemed to dislike the idea of letting untrained fighters try and arrest those that were willing to kill to achieve their goals. In the end, this issue lead to even more. People wanted each of their respective groups to be heard. Wizarding guilds, treasure hunting guilds, merchants guilds, and even crafting guilds all realized that under their initial planned system, only a single king would speak for them all.

As a result, they went back to the beginning. More plans were made, then unmade and revised as new advice was given and more people objected to the system. Overall, Kirito had decided to stay out of that mess. It was too much like home, where his own guild seemed to argue over pointless details on who would have power. Since he didn't really have any issues with being lead by someone else, he figured the others were smart enough to hash it out on their own. So, while they were busy figuring out the details, he had gone exploring.

By himself, it felt a lot like the older days. Wandering alone, seeing the monsters of this world with his own eyes, Kirito couldn't help but feel like he was back to fighting by himself again. Outside of the Town of Beginnings, as that city was now known, Kirito found a place not unlike the world they knew. It looked like plains at first, that spanned for miles with a dirt road splitting two fields of grass. Within the grass, animals seemed to rest and eat, scattered in various places. Mostly, Kirito saw boars, but that didn't mean there weren't deers and other creatures joining them. Oddly, his mind couldn't help but go back to the creator's first wish with this place as he saw it. With the gentle breeze and sunlit sky, the entire scene was just…peaceful. In the distance, there was what looked like a forest too, making him wonder if that was where the actual monsters were. Whatever the situation was, for now, he decided learning more wouldn't hurt.

Being cautious, Kirito found himself exploring with one sword always in his hand. None of the boars moved to attack him, which left him a little bit more comforted. In fact, the animals didn't even seem to try running away. Something about it was just unusual. Normal instincts for animals would be to run, but these ones clearly didn't care about his presence. Somehow, he didn't think that would change regardless of what animal he faced.

Stopping on the path, he turned to study them further. Really, they were too scattered to even interact with each other. A single boar with dark black fur seemed to be eating grass in the field. It didn't bother moving as Kirito paused, nor did it even seem to acknowledge his presence. Glancing back towards the path, Kirito made sure no one else was around before moving into the grass, approaching the animal to test his theory. Were animals not afraid of people in this place? He was going to find out. Lifting his sword, he raised it towards the creature, who seemed to stop and look into his eyes. The animal didn't flinch, nor did it run from his actions. However, as Kirito raised his blade to actually attack, meaning to just cut into its side, the boar squealed and charged forward. Startled, Kirito stumbled back in an awkward dodge, moving to the side.

The boar flew past him, slowing down once it realized it missed its target. Turning around, it seemed to be facing off against Kirito again, looking to fight. Seeing this, Kirito realized that these animals were more intelligent than he first thought. It wouldn't attack him until he threatened to attack it. However, as the boar charged forward again, he couldn't help but think about the others once again. The town itself had been stocked with resources at first, but the last six months had really done a number on their food stores. At this point, they had to make a decision on their government quick, or everyone would starve before even trying to move forward.

Seeing this boar, he couldn't help but grin. Maybe this could be useful. After all, that guy had said the monsters were out here so everyone could survive. Lifting his sword again, Kirito rushed towards the boar himself, stabbing into its side with his blade. It squealed once more, this time in pain rather than anger. Kirito could see its legs struggling to push itself forward, failing due to the pressure Kirito kept exerting on it with his sword. After a moment, those struggles weakened and stopped. The boar remained still, bleeding onto the ground as Kirito rose and removed his sword from the animal's side. For now, it looked like he could do some hunting to build up their supplies again.

He hadn't even moved into the forest with his exploration, instead choosing to stay near town in case someone needed him for something. Asuna kept trying to get him more involved in their debates, but he really couldn't add anything that wasn't already said. Everyone needed to be treated equally, and for that to happen, each group needed a voice in the government. Making that happen meant switching away from the monarchy everyone was used to in Fiore, and that led to further objection. Really, the endless cycle of arguments was just annoying to him, and he couldn't seem to say anything to sway either side.

Pulling out his bag, Kirito began seeing the usefulness in having endless storage. Each boar he killed was placed in the bag, vanishing from sight and taking up no weight as he moved around. Really, that guy was kinda awesome for thinking of designing these ahead of time, even if he was cruel for trapping them here. "I wonder what he's up to, anyway." Kirito glanced at the sky, sighing and shaking his head. Six months, and there still wasn't any word from the man that trapped them here. No one had seen him, but Kirito couldn't blame the guy for vanishing the second he revealed the purpose of this job. Everyone now wanted to find him and execute the guy, at least, that was how they talked when he was mentioned in town. As a result, most people just ignored his existence, since it seemed like he was doing the same to everyone else.

Glancing towards the trees, Kirito frowned for a moment, debating what to do. Hunting boars really was boring. They couldn't put up much of a fight, and he was hardly breaking a sweat slaying them. He was used to more difficult challenges when trying to hunt down treasures, and those normally were only traps in place to ward off intruders. Sure, sometimes there were people or monsters defending them, but most of the time, his challenge was in knowing which places were safe to walk, and which ones were best to avoid.

Technically, being even out this far was breaking the minimal rules they had in place. Until a plan was made, no one was supposed to leave town. All of their focus was meant to be directed on each problem, one at a time. However, that plan had its own flaws. Without leaving, and with the time they were taking, everyone would starve sooner or later. At the same time, staying trapped in a single town left them clueless about what was really out there. So, Kirito had snuck out, tired of the boredom and ignorance. He needed to be doing something to help them move forward, since he couldn't manage anything in their debates.

Glancing one last time back at the Town of Beginnings, Kirito let out a sigh and turned away. Hopefully, Asuna wouldn't kill him for this. Moving towards the forest, he decided he needed to get more of an idea of what was in this area. Maybe he could even find the place meant to lead to another floor. It couldn't be that difficult to find, after all.

As the branches brought shade into the area, Kirito slowed his pace. Trees surrounded him, and the path was not as straight as before. In fact, there were spots that looked like the forest had grown into it, covering the ground with tree roots and leaves. Moving too quickly in here would get him lost, so he had to be careful. Glancing at the forest around him, at first he couldn't spot anything too dangerous when compared to the plains. However, he could hear noises around him, the noises of animals all around him. Likely, something in here wasn't friendly.

Taking slow steps forward, Kirito kept his sword raised and prepared for anything that came after him. As his head turned from side to side, always watchful of the area, he couldn't help but feel like something was off here. This couldn't be all that was planned for this castle. If things were this simple, escaping wouldn't really take any time at all. After a moment, he stopped and frowned, studying the trees to his left. Within them, he saw motion of some kind of animal. White fur seemed to flash, moving quickly. Other forms moved as well, and when one stopped between the trees, Kirito crouched a bit lower. Wolves were in this forest, a bit more dangerous than the boars from before. Even so, it wasn't anything that couldn't be dealt with.

As he moved to investigate if they acted like the boars as well, a voice spoke next to him. "I wouldn't approach if I were you. Predators such as them will attack on sight, unlike the animals you find closer to towns." That calm tone, almost analyzing the world around him, made Kirito freeze. Turning his head only, his eyes widened at the sight of the man that brought them all here in the first place. "Oh, and I suppose I should have said hello first. I was surprised to find anyone out here. Considering the amount of time that had passed…I was assuming the others had simply decided to wait out as much time as possible in town. I imagine your supplies are beginning to run low, however."

Taking one last glance back at the wolves, Kirito rose and nodded, stepping back towards the path. The man had been somewhere inside the forest itself, he realized. While Kirito still did not know his name, his face was one he would not forget. As the man stood in the distance, moving towards the path from within the trees, Kirito couldn't deny that this was his hiding place the entire time. "You. So this is where you've been this whole time."

Lifting an eyebrow, the man paused for a moment. "You make it sound as if a long period of time has passed." Uncertain of what to counter with, Kirito simply narrowed his eyes, raising his blade to defend if need be. "Have things calmed at all? Are their minds more at ease, more willing to accept my presence?"

He moved on so quickly that Kirito didn't know what to make of it. "No. In fact, they're still pretty pissed about being stuck here in the first place, but we're figuring things out."

"It is impossible to make new discoveries if you refuse to move away from what you know." There was an odd wisdom in his words, one that made Kirito's sword waver slightly. The man was unarmed, and he didn't seem to be trying to threaten him at all. "At the same time, I suppose I've grown used to such reactions. I had simply hoped that by hiding my true identity things could be different." With that, he tilted his head slightly, frowning. "You, however, are not like them, are you? There is anger in your gaze…but I see the hints of curiosity as well."

Clenching his teeth together, Kirito tried to hide it. He needed to know more about this man, sure, but this was far beyond breaking the rules. At this point, he might as well have joined Laughing Coffin when they ran off on day one. At his silence, the man seemed to smile, chuckling slightly. "There is no need to fight against it. As I stated, I have no desire to be your enemy. In fact…I do not even wish to fight any more." His wish for peace came to mind, making Kirito's sword lower ever so slightly. "I do not know if you've heard of me or not…but for your bravery, perhaps you've earned a reward of some form. One question, that is what I'll allow. I shall answer it without deception or lies, so choose carefully."

It sounded like he was warning about his honesty, which was odd. However, there were so many things to ask that made it difficult to choose. This time, Kirito let his sword fall to his side, studying the man closely. His hunch from before remained unchanged, about who Kayaba was, but something told him he didn't want to confirm that quite yet. Spreading news of something like that to the already-tense people trapped here would create chaos and disorder. He could also ask to learn more about this world, but what specific question would be good enough? Did he need to know the differences in monsters? Did he need to know what they were weak to? What about the key to leaving this first floor, did he want to know where to find it?

No matter what he learned, he knew that it would be pointless. No one would listen to his advice, not when he was someone who just left on his own without any reason. Heck, the source of his information was the guy everyone thought was a liar. That would make it even worse. So, in the end, he could satisfy some other selfish curiosity, a question that had been bothering him since day one. "I have a lot of questions…there are so many things I wish I could ask you. Either way, I don't think any of the answers will really help anyone." Explaining that, he saw the man smile slightly.

"You are not as impulsive as you first appeared. So, did you decide upon what you will ask then?"

Nodding, Kirito stepped closer. "I have. Who are you really?"

There was an odd glint in his eyes at that question, making him seem amused as he tilted his head. "Since no answer would be of benefit, you seek to satisfy your curiosity? I see, not a bad decision in the end. Though…perhaps you still might regret it once you know the truth." There was an odd wistfulness in his tone, though Kirito didn't understand why it was there. "There are very few people alive that have not heard of my legacy…even fewer do not know of my name…my work is legendary, both coveted and feared, and depending on whose hands it is in, destructive and life-altering. My name…who I am…is Zeref Dragneel, the legendary Black Wizard."

Kirito's mouth opened slightly, taking a step back while shaking his head. "That…that's not possible…" Not only was Zeref hundreds of years old, the last name…it was the same last name of Natsu. Something was seriously messed up with him if he had done this to his own family.

"But it is. Long ago…long ago I was cursed, and that curse is what has forced me to live on into this era." His gaze lifted towards the sky, a smile on his face. "Here…I finally have a place where it cannot reach me."

That comment suddenly made it all click for Kirito. This entire venture, this entire world…it really was just about finding peace for him. Here, Zeref wasn't a known criminal. No one wanted to abuse his power, and no one wanted to kill him for it either. It was a fresh start, a place to begin again. Yet, his other theory…Zeref didn't want to leave this place, that much he was certain of. "That's really all you meant for this place to be…a world without magic, for everyone to live in." With that, he frowned, turning towards Zeref. "If that's your goal, why make it possible for us to escape in the first place?"

"Hope." It was an odd comment, making Kirito frown. He hadn't expected an answer, not when the man only promised one. However, Zeref seemed to be sitting down, his gaze focusing on the wolves still gathering together in the distance. "To create a realistic world…hope must exist. Few people would willingly choose to live in this isolated place, and even fewer would see reason to continue on if they knew that this was destined to be their sole existence for the rest of their lives. So long as they avoid moving towards the exit, there is no real danger in this world…and if need be, I could personally bring them the resources needed so they could continue to survive."

"So, you plan on being the hero of this place? Somehow, I don't think that'll work in your favor." With a slight smirk, Kirito crossed his arms over his chest. "After all, Kayaba Akihiko is the creator of this job…and that means he is you. So, you've basically designed this entire place to make yourself the villain."

With an odd smile, Zeref nodded in agreement. "I suppose you are correct. However…you know the truth, yet you have yet to attack me. Do you truly think others will not hesitate as well? Taking a life is far more difficult than you might think."

Sachi's face flashed in his mind, the young girl that was the reason he worked alone for so long. His smile vanished, his smugness gone as a chill entered his body. "No one deserves to die…why are you trying to force someone to kill?"

Sighing, Zeref shook his head. "Because it is my lifelong dream…for my life to finally come to an end." It was an odd goal, Kirito thought, one which just didn't seem right.

"Why would you throw something like that away? You only get one chance to live, so go out there and enjoy your life! It doesn't matter who you are, or what you've done, you can always try and be better. Don't let the past define you, Zeref, and don't give up just because the world seems to hate you." With each word, Kirito moved closer to Zeref until he had grabbed the young man's robes, pulling him closer and shouting in his face. Maybe it was a bit rude, but he had to get his point across somehow.

With an odd smile, Zeref's eyes closed and he nodded. "It appears as if you and I differ on that matter. I have lived a long life…and all I've done was suffer as a result. Have you ever lost anyone you cared about?" Unable to reply, Kirito looked away. "I've lost everyone. Everyone I ever care for…any life I give value to…they all fade away and die before I truly can enjoy their presence. Why is it wrong to wish to join them? To wish for my life to end, so I can see what comes after death and join those that left before me?"

"That's exactly why you have to live on! What would those people think if they knew you were about to throw your life away?"

Zeref turned away, frowning slightly. "They would take one look at me and become terrified of the monster I've become." He paused for a moment, tilting his head. "Actually, perhaps one would feel differently…however she isn't quite dead, either, so I suppose she does not fit your description either."

"And I told you, your past doesn't define who you are!" Kirito didn't know what he had to do to get through this guy, but he would. The more he looked at this guy, the more he realized that this wasn't some diabolical plan. Really, it was just one guy's insane wish to die taken to extreme levels. Seeing Zeref still not meeting his gaze, Kirito sighed and sat down, joining him on the ground. "Look…I don't normally talk about this stuff much, but I kinda relate to what you're saying. A few years ago…I met this group of friends, trying to form their own guild. They didn't know what kind of guild they wanted to be yet, but they always spent their time together, trying to go on adventures and learning more about treasure hunting and magic at the same time. One day…they offered to let me join them on a quest of theirs. I had quite a bit of experience at the time, and I was worried that they'd kinda shun me if they knew…after all, you don't usually go on jobs with people way below your skill level…so I just kept it hidden. I let them think I was new to it too, stumbling through these ancient ruins in search of rumored treasure."

Zeref didn't seem to be reacting much to his story, but Kirito had already started so he kept going. "We had a lot of fun…despite the fact that we kept running into traps and facing danger, everyone kept a smile on their face. When they saw a room with a treasure chest in it…well, it was only natural for them to assume it was the actual treasure. I tried to warn them…but it wasn't like I had given them any reason to believe my hunch about the dangers of that room." He glanced towards the ground, his hands tightly clasping each other in his lap. "It was a trap, one that was triggered by any contact with the chest. Summoned creatures attacked…and I was the only one who survived. Because I hid the truth from them…all of my friends died. So, don't go telling me…don't go telling me that it is best to just sit back and wait to join them. Sachi wouldn't want that from me…and the people that you know who died wouldn't want you gone either."

It was his original argument, he supposed, but this time he had experience to back it up. However, Zeref studied him closely with narrowed eyes. "If the past is insignificant in defining who you are, what is? Are we born with our personalities, destined to live lives of great heroics, or great villainy? Or perhaps our actions in the present define us…still an odd viewpoint, in my opinion. After all, once we perform an action, it becomes one with the past…and in terms of your reasoning, becomes insignificant in who we are. Therefore, are we truly nothing? Is that what you wish for me to believe?"

Kirito couldn't stop his mouth from opening slightly, his eyes wide at the man's thought process. In a way…he had a point. Kirito hadn't thought ahead far enough to consider what else Zeref should base his mindset on. In response to his expression, Zeref seemed to smile and chuckle slightly. "I find you interesting to speak with. Perhaps…perhaps you would be willing to be the ally I sought to have in this place."

It was a strange request, one which Kirito was instinctively about to turn down. However, as he lifted a hand to object, he stopped, staring at this man who seemed so lost. Even with a smile on his face, there were shadows in his eyes. Strangely, they were nearly empty most of the time, not even reflecting the barest hint of an emotion.

At the moment, the others weren't moving forward. Kirito knew that without a doubt. This man wasn't either, in his own way. In fact, Zeref didn't even show signs of wanting to move forward. He was content with watching the world around him, not caring if he was destroyed with it or living on inside of it. Either way, he had an odd sort of freedom in this place, one which Kirito couldn't bring himself to dissuade the man from finding. "I…I don't know about that. I mean, my friends are back in town…and I wasn't really supposed to leave in the first place."

Kirito rubbed the back of his head, though Zeref frowned. "I did not make any such rules. In fact, there are very few boundaries in this place in the first place, beyond those between various floors."

"That's…that's not quite what I meant." Kirito could see that Zeref didn't understand what was going on, and he sighed, dropping his arm to his side. "Look…you kinda freaked everyone out, alright? They're all busy wasting time, trying to come up with some sort of legal system for while we're here. I mean, a dark guild already revealed themselves and ran off to who knows where, plus we've got people panicking and trying to just run around blindly to find an exit. Order will at least calm some of that…and the first thing they did was ask everyone to stick around until an actual plan was made."

Nodding, Zeref seemed to study Kirito once more. "I see. It seems as if you are not fond of this idea?"

Avoiding his gaze, Kirito frowned and felt his eyes narrow slightly, though he was simply staring at a tree in the forest. "I don't know. Maybe…maybe I just dislike how no one can compromise. They keep fighting using the same arguments, and no one is backing down…pretty soon, we're going to run out of food and resources, and we still won't be any closer to having any form of governing body in this place."

"It is human nature to fight…in fact, humans are selfish, naïve fools, always seeking their own comfort above the desires of everyone else." Zeref spoke as if he wasn't one of them, but Kirito couldn't blame the guy. If he truly was the wizard he claimed to be, the guy wasn't exactly a normal person. "They reject and destroy that which they cannot understand…and that which brings them discomfort. Ultimately, they would choose war over peace, despite knowing the loss that comes as a result…simply because they are too unwilling to let go of pointless convictions that hold little meaning in the end."

It sounded like an odd warning, making Kirito blink and turn his head towards where he came from. Would they really start fighting over something so pointless? Asuna wouldn't, but he really didn't know the others. "War? They…they can't. We can't lose anyone if we want to get out of here…"

Nodding, Zeref seemed to lean back, lying down on the ground. "That isn't entirely true…however, I also would find it rather irritating if too many perished. Perhaps it is best if you return and guide them away…however, one voice is rarely enough to create reason in the minds of fools."

Staring at Zeref, Kirito felt his jaw harden, closing his eyes for a moment. Asuna really was the only one he cared about in town, but that didn't mean he hadn't met other people that he might become friends with. Klein was here, one of the first treasure hunters in a guild that hadn't fought him for trying to steal his treasure. Suguha, his cousin was trapped too, along with her friend Silica. Then, there were the wizards from Fairy Tail, oddly warm and welcoming even from the first moment they met. At the same time…this place was designed to be a place of death. It was peaceful, because it was meant to be this man's final resting place. Oddly, Kirito didn't know how to talk him out of it, but for some reason, it bothered him to think that Zeref was just making all of this to throw away his entire life.

Considering the fact that he was useless in town, he couldn't help but agree with Zeref's own comment. One voice wasn't enough to change their minds. However, one voice seemed to be managing to reach Zeref, in some weird way. "No…they don't need me." Taking a deep breath, Kirito opened his eyes and held out his hand towards Zeref. "So…I guess I can stick around out here for a bit. My name's Kirito, I guess you should probably know that if we're going to be hanging out for a bit."

For a moment, Zeref seemed to lean forward slightly, staring at his hand with an oddly blank look. However, slowly, an odd smile formed on his face as he reached out, grasping Kirito's palm. His grip started out weak at first, as if just testing out the sensation, but slowly strengthened as Zeref shook his hand. It was odd, as if Zeref was trying to study how to shake hands based on Kirito's actions. "It has been a long time…since I've been able to do this." When he pulled his hand back, Zeref seemed to gaze at his palm and study his own hand. "Thank you…for agreeing to stay. I assure you, I will not let you regret this, Kirito. If you wish…I can show you everything there is to admire about this world I've created…about this world that can bring about so much peace, if you simply let yourself be absorbed by the place you live in." With that, Zeref seemed to rise to his feet, gazing down at Kirito to wait. Seeing his motion, Kirito slowly rose as well, moving to follow when Zeref began walking deeper into the forest. For a moment, he paused and turned back, wondering if anyone would even notice his absence. However, slowly he shook his head and turned back towards Zeref, following the man deeper into the castle. If anyone was going to show the black wizard how to value his own life again, it was going to be him. Then, Zeref would work with them to take down the spell keeping them trapped here, without taking away his life to break the seal.

 **For those of you unfamiliar with my Fairy Tail stories, Zeref almost always ends up being the main focus of them...hence the early moment of Kirito joining Zeref's side to some extent here. I do hope you've enjoyed still. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Sword Art Online or Fairy Tail

Things were actually starting to look up, Lucy thought. After so much time debating over making a plan, people were realizing the pressure their limited resources placed on them. As a result, the meeting seemed to actually be making some progress. "Alright, we all agree that a monarchy is out, right?" Klein was speaking up, trying to stay calm as other gathered in what they were calling the town hall. Basically, it was a massive church-like building that had been converted for their purposes. The benches that were meant for worship provided enough seating room for almost everyone here, and the podium allowed people to take turns speaking their own thoughts.

When people nodded in agreement to Klein's point, he smiled and leaned forward. "Okay, and we all agree that each group deserves their own voice too, right?" More nods of agreement were shown. "Then what about a democracy? We vote for a ruler and—"

"But that still isn't fair!" Lucy didn't exactly know who the guy was that kept objecting. Based on his robes, he looked like a member of Kirito's guild, but she wasn't certain. "A single ruler will favor his own kind above all others."

With her arms crossed over her chest, Levy rose and narrowed her gaze at him. "It could be a woman just as easily, you know." He seemed to glare at her, but Levy smiled confidently. "And besides, wouldn't that put treasure hunters in a more favorable situation? Considering our current numbers, wizards and treasure hunters combined make up over seventy percent of the people here."

"That still doesn't mean you wizards aren't taking up more space than the rest of us!"

Sighing, Lucy wondered if she had decided too early that they were making progress. These debates weren't getting any easier, that was certain. "Look, all of you guys are being idiots. If you've got a problem with being represented by a single leader, why not have multiple?"

Snorting, others turned on Suguha's brief comment harshly. "Sure, and how will anything get done?" Lyon was the first to speak, his gaze narrowed at her. "The more numerous our government, the more unrest that will exist within. Basically, infighting will prevent them from being productive and we'll be back to where we started."

At this point, Lucy was just hoping Asuna would get back soon. No one was really leading the debates right now, not with her gone. When someone had mentioned their small numbers here today, she had left to try and bring more of the trapped people inside to debate. Little by little, these meetings had grown smaller and smaller. Fewer people had hope of accomplishing anything. Most had already voiced their opinions, and those that hadn't really wouldn't manage to cut through the louder voices just trying to keep things from being too favorable for any one group. Those that hadn't given up on having their opinions heard were simply feeling like there was no point in working together towards their goal anymore. Right now, no one seemed to be keen on working with anyone outside of their own guilds, and that very thing was exactly what was causing so many more problems in these debates.

More shouts began to take over the room. Another Knights of the Blood Oath member joined her companion, rising to take his side. "And besides, what's stopping you wizards from taking control of that system too? Any form of elected official will lead to the same skewed representation!"

"Guys, can't we all just stay calm and talk about this rationally?" Agil tried to stop it from escalating, but didn't have much luck.

"You still got a problem with wizards, treasure hunter?" Natsu's irritated stance and comments weren't helping either.

Gray rose, standing by his side with a smirk. "I may not have my magic, but that doesn't mean I can't fight with my fists. If you've got a problem with us, then let's prove to you why you don't want to mess with us."

This was exactly how many of these meetings transformed from simple discussions to brawls. "Please don't fight in here…" Lucy didn't know if her plea was heard or not, but more treasure hunters were beginning to swarm near Natsu and Gray.

Rising to her feet. Erza seemed to tower behind the crowd. "All of you, stop fooling around and focus!" Her voice boomed over them, her fist slamming down on the heads of treasure hunters and wizards alike. People had learned early on that Erza wasn't someone anyone wanted to mess with. Almost immediately, people backed down and returned to their seats, avoiding meeting her gaze or just trying to keep their distance entirely. "Now, I, for one, am interested in hearing more about this idea of multiple leaders. For once, it seems as if we may have something to build upon here."

With that, Klein seemed to step back from the podium, returning to his seat. After talking to the guy some more, Lucy had realized he actually wasn't that bad of a guy. He just was really clueless about how to act around any girl. With him sitting next to her, she gave him a slight smile as he let out an exaggerated sigh. "Man…I thought I might be able to get through to at least one of them. What does it take to make people see reason these days?"

His complaint made Lucy chuckle slightly, shaking her head as Levy rose to take the stand. "I'm beginning to wonder that myself. We're about to starve to death, and they're more concerned about skewed voting methods than they are about survival."

Their brief conversation was put on hold as Levy began to speak. "Look, we just need some way of forming a government that allows everyone to be represented. Some form of parliament could—"

"You already tried that plan!"

"Lyon was correct, we cannot expect complete strangers to be capable of getting along quickly enough for such a leading body to function properly." Jura crossed his arms over his chest, adding in his own comments.

Once again, the rumbling complaints were growing before the idea could even reach completion. Seeing her friend stuck only moments into her appeal, Lucy sighed and tried to hide herself in her seat. This was going horribly wrong too. "Man, they're not even letting her speak!" Klein seemed upset, but his objection was overshadowed by the shouts growing in the room.

"Please….I wasn't…" Levy tried taking control once again, but her voice was drowned out by other shouts.

"We're tired of all this nonsense!"

"Yeah, we need a new plan!"

"I say every guild for themselves! Whoever gets out first wins, and whatever we find we can keep."

"We're out of food, we might not have any other choice."

The shouts began to become indistinguishable. From her seat, Erza seemed to scowl in irritation, looking ready to shout for them to quiet down again. However, that was before someone actually began moving towards the front of the room, preparing to drag Levy back to her seat. Seeing that, Lucy rose to her feet, taking a step to help her friend. However, Klein grabbed her arm to stop her. "Lucy, you can't." When she fought against his grip, Klein stood and forced her to turn towards him. "It's a madhouse in here, alright? I get that she's your friend…I'd wanna help out too…but one person can't break through that many people."

True enough, their small gathering all seemed to have turned on Levy. What had once been a peaceful debate was transforming into a battle between people that were still practically strangers. Sure, a few people had broken out of their shells to meet new people, but they were rare to find. Either way, the crowd was surrounding Levy, forcing her to slowly back away. She stopped when her back ran into the wall behind her, her eyes scanning for help in the crowd.

"Oi, you guys got a bone to pick with shrimpy over there?" Gajeel's deep voice seemed to carry over the angry cries of the others. "'Cus if you do, then you're messing with me too."

A few turned towards him, seeing the tall, muscular man standing in the middle of their crowd. However, those that were already close to Levy wrote off his claims, reaching for the girl that appeared to be weak. "Solid Script…" Levy's voice trailed off, her hands held in front of her with a desperate call towards magic that she didn't possess. Hearing that, Lucy couldn't help but feel her own hand reach down towards her keyring. She didn't have any of her celestial spirits here to help right now, no matter how much she wanted them to be by her side.

Suddenly, light seemed to burst into the room as the doors behind them all swung open. People turned around, seeing their moderator returning from her mission to try and bring new voices into their debate. Asuna was frozen in the doorway, watching as people seemed to crowd around a defenseless girl in the church. "What…what is going on in here?" Her voice carried, seeing people slowly backing away as she took her role as temporary leader once more. Oddly, there was something about the girl that everyone admired, a strength in her that Lucy couldn't help but wish she possessed.

"I leave…for just fifteen minutes…and you guys can't manage to stay calm for even that long?" Her voice made people hang their heads, avoiding her critical gaze. "I'm ashamed of all of you. How can we claim to be searching for a way to enforce regulations if we aren't willing to control ourselves? None of you….none of you are fit to be here…but you're stuck here anyway, aren't you?" There were tears in her eyes, and she let out a slight laugh at the irony of the situation. "I guess that's what I get for thinking we could manage to succeed with this. That's what I get…for thinking I could bring everyone together."

Her tears seemed to make people shift, uncertain of what to do. Stepping forward, Wendy seemed to approach her slowly. "Hey…it'll be alright. We've gotten everyone this far, and while we still have a long ways to go…it is better than nothing. Without you, we wouldn't even have a goal to work towards, Asuna. You're what is keeping us moving towards that goal, and right now, we need you to stay strong too."

Asuna seemed to collapse on the ground, her legs giving out and folding underneath her. Her crying deepened, and Wendy desperately seemed to search for help. "Kirito…I couldn't find him. I wanted him here, to help keep everyone focused…but he wasn't in the house he said he was staying in."

"Wait, Kirito's gone?" Klein spoke up, walking towards her. "But I thought we all agreed to stay in town until these debates were done with?"

Nodding, Asuna seemed to try and wipe away her tears, glancing up at him. "We…we did. I guess…I guess he didn't think our plan was good enough…" She trailed off, biting her lip and avoiding their gazes. "Either way, I think it is time for us to actually figure something out, instead of arguing all day long. What idea were we discussing this time that started all of this anyway?"

When no one spoke up, Levy seemed to step away from the wall, taking a deep breath. "I had an idea…a temporary fix, at the very least. Everyone seems so concerned about having a voice…so I thought we'd form a governing body of multiple individuals, one to represent each group present. Wizards would vote on someone to represent all wizards, treasure hunters would vote for their own representative, merchants would do the same…and we'd form a group that would lead us all, forming rules and making decisions on how to move forward while we're here."

Now that her idea was fully explained, people seemed to back away even further. Some seemed to be trying to avoid meeting her eyes, clearly ashamed of what they had done to her before she could even speak. "That still does not eliminate our inability to cooperate with each other. What did you propose for situations where no decision can be reached by this…council you propose?" Lyon was still analyzing the situation calmly.

Rising to her feet again, Asuna seemed to harden her gaze. "There won't be arguments…because much like what we've done here, decisions will be voted on upon the Council. Popular vote will decide what action we take…and in the event of a tie, the wizards will hold the deciding vote. Considering the majority of our population consists of their kind, I'd say that's more than fair to everyone here."

A few treasure hunters looked ready to object, but Asuna gave them a harsh glare when they opened their mouths. "Before you speak, I suggest you consider the fact that we only have a weeks worth of supplies remaining in this town." That seemed to silence any remaining arguments before they could begin. Seeing that, Asuna smiled and clapped her hands together, looking pleased. "Alright, then it looks like we've finally settled this matter. All groups, gather together and begin your votes! The sooner we get this Council together, the sooner we can figure out a way to gather resources…and figure out what to do with those that have left town without a trace." A hint of worry remained in her eyes. Lucy wondered just what Kirito meant to that girl, because right now, it was looking like it was taking all of her strength to keep herself together for the people in this town.

 **Not a whole lot going on beyond more debate here...but hey, they've made a decision at least. Plus, they now know that Kirito's gone, so something is still moving forward. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of SAO or FT

Luckily for them, the voting process to elect a Council did not take long. Asuna was trying to relax as much as she could during the three days that were being used to deliberate and vote among each group. However, she had a lot on her mind. Kirito still wasn't in town. She didn't know what was up with that boy. Sure, she knew he was one to go off on his own if he thought things were getting dangerous, but that had been changing. She thought she had shown him that he had friends he could rely on now. Maybe the guild wasn't the right place to turn to, but he at least always had her by his side. Now, wherever he was, he was completely alone once more.

The treasure hunters had taken the least amount of time to vote. Asuna was almost unanimously decided as their representative, due to her hard work put in to keep everyone together thus far. She really didn't think she deserved it, but it did give her time to think. What would Kirito be doing? Exploring seemed obvious, and Kirito knew the rules. Despite being a loner, he wouldn't put anyone else at risk by rushing off outside the city. If others heard he did that and got away with it, it would ruin everything she was trying to build. Thus far, they hadn't really decided on a government, so she wasn't certain if they would punish people that had run off early on. She didn't want to be forced to punish Kirito, though, if that came to be the case.

On the first day of voting, Asuna had wasted most of her time searching the Town of Beginnings. She had looked through buildings, scoping out many places that no one had even been inside of yet. True to the creator's word, there seemed to be buildings designed with layouts for stores, restaurants, and even inns. They even managed to take on some form of organization, sectioning off into business districts and residential if she just focused on the layout within each building. Their first walk through the town had let them discover a warehouse with supplies, which was how they had managed to get by this long. However, the more Asuna searched, the more she learned that it wasn't meant to last forever. This place was designed to allow for a whole civilization to grow, cultivating this world with infrastructure and even instructions on how to make various tools. In one shop, she found a forge along with instructions on how to craft different types of weapons. It was strange, especially with how many books lined the walls to instruct strangers on how to make tools designed to harm and even kill others.

Despite learning that there was much more in this town than she first realized, she did not manage to locate Kirito. So, the next day she decided to ask if others had seen him. Instead of searching alone, she had gone to some of his old friends. Klein offered to take his guild outside the town and do a brief scouting mission outside for him. However, she wasn't able to approve something like that until voting was finished. So, she tried to see if he had at least let his family know where he went. Suguha had been staying in town, resting with Silica and some wizard friend of theirs named Wendy. In their hands had been another card game to pass the time, and when Asuna had interrupted, she only managed to worry them. Suguha looked ready to charge out of town alone, willing to tear apart anything to get her cousin back.

Asuna had even tried his newer companions, checking in with Natsu and Lucy to see if he had been seen. The two seemed to have gotten involved in some kind of training match, though the blond looked uncomfortable with trying to engage her friend in a fist fight in the streets. Luckily for her, some other wizard had jumped in and told her she could wait it out, while he practiced with Natsu. The main thing Asuna remembered about the third party was the way he had seemed to randomly lose all of his clothes during his spar with Natsu, which made Asuna decide to avert her eyes and wait for Natsu to come to her. When he finally did, he shrugged off her worry, telling her he'd turn up eventually. After all, it wasn't like there were many places to go if they really were trapped in this castle.

With that, Asuna found her second day wasted as well. Sleeping it off, she had told herself that she would find Kirito the next day, but here she was, sitting around in the empty church and still clueless on what to do next. Natsu did have a valid point before, but it still didn't stop the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Kirito always told her if he was going to do something reckless. In fact, he normally only did so to try and protect her or his other friends. It was part of why she admired him so much, and why she wanted to do anything to make him see that he could rely on others too. If she could just prove that she was strong too, then maybe she could help protect him, just as he protected others around him.

Now, she was sitting around in the church, waiting for others to join her. Someone had come to her earlier, telling her that the others had actually finished voting. She had expected it to take longer, but apparently people were realizing the danger of letting their food supplies run as low as they were. As it stood, she wasn't even sure if they could make it until the end of the month with the rate people were consuming it at. So, people had likely rushed in their votes, just trying to get something together so they could move on to a different focus.

Asuna may have gotten here a bit early, but slowly, others began to come in. First, she saw the familiar merchant Agil join her. While Asuna didn't work with him much, she knew Kirito had mentioned doing a lot of business with the guy when he was treasure hunting on his own. Apparently, Agil was always reliable in giving him an honest appraisal of items he found, even if Kirito was clueless about exactly what he had. Not only that, but Agil was how Kirito had often got his jobs before. The merchant always had an ear out for random pieces of information, and if you were willing to pay or friendly enough with the guy, he would pass that info along. Hints about the locations of gold, jewels, weapons, and other artifacts reached the ears of Kirito through him, and kept both of them employed.

"Hey, Asuna. How've you been?"

Sighing, Asuna tried to give him a smile, but she could feel just how forced it was. "Okay…" She gave up on the smile, settling for a frown as she folded her arms over her chest. "Still worried about Kirito, I guess."

Nodding, Agil took a seat in one of the pews. "I get that, but you shouldn't worry too much. Kirito is a good kid, and while he keeps to himself a lot, he would have said something if he thought it would be dangerous. He'll be back soon enough, I'm sure of it."

This time, Asuna managed to hold on to her smile a bit more. "Right. Kirito would have told me if he thought there was a way out…I know he wouldn't abandon anyone here."

With that, the doors opened once more and allowed for someone new to enter. At a glance, it appeared to be a girl about Asuna's age, with dark brown eyes. She was shorter than Asuna, however, with pink hair and a long-sleeved short red dress. A white apron was tied over the skirt, and she wore knee-high brown boots along with it. "Hi! Sorry I'm late, it took the others a while to decide who would be coming. My name is Lisbeth, and I'm a part of the Morning Glory crafter's guild."

She seemed to have a bright smile, giving a slight bow of her head as she greeted them. Her hands were clasped in front of her skirt, and she seemed to observe them calmly. Agil rose, moving closer and offering a hand towards her with a smile. "It is good to meet you, Lisbeth. My name's Agil, and I'm certain you've met our treasure hunter representative Asuna. Glad to have you as a part of the team."

With her smile widening, Lisbeth nodded. "I'm just glad to be here! Can you believe the others doubted my ability to handle this? They said I was too unfocused, and that all I would do was try and brag about my blacksmithing skills." She seemed to glare at that, as if angered just thinking about the arguments. "I mean, sure, I am proud of my work, but I understand when to put it aside and focus on real problems. With something like this, you can't just leave it in anyone's hands to take care of."

Seeing how flustered she was getting, Asuna couldn't help but fight back the urge to laugh. There was something oddly endearing about how irritated she got over something so simple, and it made her happy to see someone so passionate about being here. "Well, we certainly are glad to have someone here who keeps that in mind. Do you know if the others are on their way?"

Shrugging, Lisbeth moved to sit next to Agil in the pews. "Dunno. I didn't see anyone on my way in, but I also wasn't really looking for them. I didn't want to give the others a chance to change their mind on me…" She rubbed the back of her head, letting out a nervous laugh with that. "It was already a close vote…a lot of crafters were struggling with voting outside of their own guilds, to be honest. I imagine that was what kept the wizards held up for so long too."

Strangely, Asuna wondered how the most competitive style of guild ended up deciding so much swifter than the others. Lisbeth's comment made a lot of sense, but Asuna was beginning to realize that the lines that kept them divided into separate guilds were causing a lot of their problems right now. Maybe the other treasure hunters saw that as well, and realized that they needed to work together in order to move forward in this place. "So, that means we only have three representatives here thus far…we're still waiting for the wizards…is there anyone else coming? I feel like we're short for some reason…"

Leaning forward, Agil nodded. "Maybe we are, but we do have one extra straggler to represent those independent of guilds. Didn't hear much about those debates…they were probably more of a nightmare than anyone else's, too." Considering it was a debate amongst strangers, Asuna couldn't help but agree. Likely, the votes were spread out within that group, and the one representing them had only won by a small margin. Hopefully, they would still be capable of acting with everyone else's best interests at heart.

"Oh, and don't forget the Alfheim representative! Granted, there are only two candidates…but they still get a voice in our affairs too." Lisbeth smiled, glad to have pointed out one that was missing from amongst all of them.

"I'm just glad we don't have to worry about a dark guild rep. Working with one of them…I don't think I'd be able to stand it." Still, it was worrying even imagining them being out there. Asuna wondered if they had found that man yet, the one who brought them all here in the first place. Hopefully, they wouldn't cause too many issues.

Nodding in agreement, Lisbeth seemed to fiddle with her hands, staring down at them as they rested in her lap. "Yeah…you don't think they'll come back, right? I mean, they said they were going to search for the person who brought us all here…and it's not like anyone has seen that guy in town since he first announced the true intentions of this job on day one."

Giving her a strained smile, Asuna nodded. "Of course they won't. Even if they did, we outnumber them by a huge amount, and we're far more skilled than a group of wizards without their magic." Part of her winced slightly, though she was relieved that no wizards were nearby to hear her. As insulting as it was, that fact still remained true. "No offense to them…but there are very few that can actually fight without relying on that power." Admittedly, she had been impressed by the spar between those two Fairy Tail wizards yesterday, but it was still a far cry from rivaling trained treasure hunters. They could hold their own in a normal brawl, but against any formidable foe, they would likely find themselves at a disadvantage.

"And that's exactly why we're working together to get out of this mess." Agil's expression turned focused as the door opened again, letting in yet another individual to their group. "We've got to get everyone prepared to face whatever it is we must defeat in order to escape this place. I don't know about you guys, but I would like to actually get out of here at some point…hopefully before anyone actually dies here."

"That won't happen, not if I have anything to say about it." The newcomer spoke, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her gaze at everyone inside. She was dressed in a school girl's uniform, with glasses over brown eyes and hair just a shade darker than her eyes. However, even with her naïve appearance, there was a calm, calculating look in her gaze. "No one has to die for something as pointless as one man's twisted idea of a game."

"And I take it you are the next representative…" Asuna trailed off, trying to place which group she should be with. She wasn't certain if this girl was a wizard or not, especially since Asuna hadn't met all of them with just how many people there were in this place.

Smiling, the girl stepped forward and offered her hand. "Most people call me Sinon. I'm here to represent those independent of guilds." She smiled slightly, brushing some hair behind her ear and hanging her head. "I'm honored that they think I'd do such a good job with this…most people normally shun me. I guess it's because no one really knows me here…so I can be whoever I want to be."

Taking her hand, Asuna smiled warmly at the girl. There was something shy in her, yet strong at the same time. "I'm Asuna, and these are two of our other Council members, Agil and Lisbeth. We're still waiting on two more…I think." Nodding, Sinon pulled back and studied the others for a moment. After a moment of scrutiny, she moved to take her own seat, sitting in the pew in front of Agil and Lisbeth, right on the aisle with her legs hanging into the aisle, her body angled towards the others.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other these days…especially with how much time it looks like we're wasting here." She seemed to narrow her eyes at that, sighing and pushing up her glasses. "Not that I'm in any rush to get back, though. In that sense, I guess I might not be like the rest of you."

She didn't elaborate on her words, but it left Asuna staring at her with a frown. Clearly, there was something going on in Sinon's personal life that she wasn't willing to share. Part of Asuna wanted to ask about it, but it also wasn't her place. This girl was practically a stranger, and despite how long people had been in this place, not everyone was doing a good job making allies. Likely, Sinon had won the vote due to her ability to stay calm while trapped, and the way she seemed to carry herself with an unusual confidence. However, the glazed look in her eyes made Asuna wonder if she was just hiding behind this front, putting on a brave face for everyone else to see.

The odd silence seemed to stick, with no one knowing how to ask Sinon why she wanted to stick around inside this strange castle. Aincrad may have become their temporary residence, but Sinon was the first person Asuna met that actually didn't want to escape. However, just as Lisbeth seemed to work up the nerve to speak, the doors opened again. A young girl walked inside, with dark blue hair. She was gazing at the ground, nervously playing with her hair as she joined them. "Um…hi. Sorry, we didn't know if it was allowed or not…but since I got to be so close to Silica and the others in Alfheim…and because I agree with their beliefs…they decided I should represent them here. I don't know why they wanted me though…they just weren't confident in their own abilities to lead, I guess."

Her nervousness was obvious, especially with the way she seemed to hover near the door. With the air still thick from Sinon's declaration, no one really spoke immediately. "I…I can leave if that's not okay? I just didn't want to tell them no…they seemed so happy when I said I wanted to be a part of their group, however I could be in order to help. Then, one thing lead to another…and I guess here I am." She rubbed the back of her head, laughing nervously. "I hope my guild isn't too mad at me about this…it's not like I'm leaving Fairy Tail or anything for them, it just feels like the right thing to do."

With a smile, Lisbeth rose and waked over to her, placing her hands on her hips. "Well…if that's how you feel, then I say welcome to the club! Half of my guild is so jealous right now, they can't stand the fact that I won the representative role." With a grin, Lisbeth patted the young girl's shoulders, while her brown eyes widened at Lisbeth's words. "Don't worry about the stress, we've all got your back! I'm just glad to see someone here from Alfheim who won't preach about saving the animals every time we meet. No offense to them, but it kinda detracts from our goal of surviving this whole ordeal, if you as me."

Smiling, Wendy let Lisbeth drag her forward into the church. "None taken! I can admit…it is a bit much at times, but they mean well." Her smile faded slightly, while she glanced around at the others. "Oh, I never introduced myself! I'm Wendy Marvel, and I am happy to be here working with all of you."

Sinon was watching her with narrowed eyes, and after a moment she seemed to sigh, shaking her head. Meanwhile, Agil rose and stood on her other side, smiling down at her. "It's good to see you here, Wendy. I think we met before we got trapped in this place, actually. Didn't expect to see a kid like you in power, though." He gave out a slight chuckle, keeping the mood bright.

"Yeah, neither did I. But, I guess I can see why they did it. Suguha was probably worried that Kirito would be on the council instead of me…" That would have made things awkward. Asuna had seen the way Kirito's cousin often looked at him, even if the guy was oblivious. It was strange, but she clearly wasn't acting on her feelings, so Asuna felt a little bit more comfortable with it. "Silica doesn't really have the confidence for a position like this and Suguha…well, she's a bit impulsive sometimes. With how like-minded you and Silica are…I guess it makes sense that they asked you to represent them, even if you didn't join their group until arriving in Aincrad."

Nodding, Wendy seemed to be growing more comfortable now that everyone was inviting her. However, Sinon still kept her head hung low, her arms crossed over her chest. "You won't make it here for long. If you ask me, you don't look like you're willing to make sacrifices to get what you want. If you aren't strong enough to do that…then you won't be able to fight for your opinions on this Council and you should just leave."

Giving the girl a sharp look, Asuna prepared to fight back on Wendy's behalf. However, the young girl lifted her gaze, her smile fading with her hands clenching into fists by her sides. "We don't know each other. You can't judge someone that you've never met…and you have no idea how hard I'll fight for the things I believe in. If it helps protect the people I call my friends…I will do anything, just to bring them back home so we can be a family again."

Shrugging, Sinon seemed to let it go, but it was clear by the way she turned away that she had simply dismissed the young girl. Before Asuna could step in and try to improve the situation, their final representative arrived. The doors opened, revealing a tall, muscular man with a bald head and stubble lining his jaw. He wore a long-sleeved white robe, accented with brown along the sleeves and color. "Greetings. I apologize for my punctuality, however, considering the time it took for those I represent to deliberate, it as unavoidable. My name is Jura Neekis, and I am honored to be able to represent the wizards who find themselves trapped in this world."

He gave them a slight bow, making Asuna blink in surprise. Wendy's eyes widened when she saw him, gasping in recognition. "Jura? You're part of the Council?"

Nodding, the man smiled as he recognized her. "Indeed. I find it more surprising that you are here, all things considered. While I do not entirely agree that I am the best fit for this position, others viewed my status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints as reason enough to vote for me. Those that still needed an extra push were given information from my other supporters, mentioning that I have worked with the Magic Council in the past. With these factors all in consideration, it swayed even those seeking to place their own guild members amongst our leadership."

"So, you're a big-shot wizard?" Sinon rose to her feet, letting her hands drop to her side as she studied the man. "It sounds like you don't even have the confidence to admit that much, despite all these titles you keep listing."

Smiling, Jura inclined his head and shook it slightly. "In that sense, I would disagree. More accurately put, I simply understand my own limits, unlike others that rely heavily on magic. Weakness is a part of every living thing, and I know that I am far from being the most powerful wizard of all. Without that power…" He paused, glancing at his palm for a moment with a frown. "I'd have to say, almost anyone in this town would be a decent match against me in a fight. I may have strength greater than the average man, but I am not familiar with using it in battle for anything other than accessing my own abilities."

Hearing that, Sinon offered her hand and smiled. "You sound like a reasonable man. Call me Sinon, I'm going to be looking forward to working with you." Shaking it, Jura nodded.

"Likewise." Seeing them interact, Asuna sighed and shook her head.

"Um…I hate to break it to you…but it seems like she doesn't want us to try and work on getting out of this place…" Her words made Jura blink, studying Sinon closely.

After a moment, he pulled back and folded his arms over his chest once more. "That is an odd opinion to hold. Surely, you must have a reason for enjoying this cage so much?"

Smiling, Sinon nodded. "Of course I do! No one knows me here…and as I've told the others, that means I can be whoever I want to be." There was that odd hint again of something distant in Sinon's eyes, as if she was creating this persona as she went along. Based on what she said before, Asuna was beginning to question if Sinon was even a nickname she had been given by a friend, or if it was just the name she gave herself to go along with her new attitude. "None of you really understand the point of this place…on day one, when that man told us he created this place to find peace…I saw it. We aren't meant to leave…we're meant to live here, and enjoy our lives. In a way…I think I agree with him. It is peaceful, in this place where we are complete strangers to each other, able to build a world of our own creation."

Nodding, Jura seemed to frown for a moment. "I see. Your logic is sound, and I cannot help but admire you for holding strong to your beliefs. However…there is still much waiting outside of this castle, families hoping to see their loved ones again. As much as I wish we could remain and build this world that sounds so appealing, there are people who would be hurt by such actions. As the voice of the wizards, I cannot say my people would desire a life in this world."

Strangely, Asuna couldn't help but see what Sinon was saying as well. It was the first time someone had managed to put some logic to that man's words all those months ago. Oddly, she found herself feeling ashamed for shunning him for having such a dream. There were plenty of reasons to try and avoid reality. Sometimes, Asuna felt so pressured by her parents to be perfect that it was unbearable. That was why she had joined the Knights of the Blood Oath in the first place. She had friends there who supported her, rather than forcing her to be something she wasn't. As much as her parents loved her, they didn't let her be free like she wanted. Being in the guild, it was what let her have some freedom, but it didn't stop her from feeling the pain of knowing she disappointed them by leaving.

Maybe that guy had gone about it the wrong way, but everyone could sympathize with wanting a break once in a while. "I guess that does make sense. Either way, we've got more work to do. First things first, we need to figure out what to do about our dwindling supplies. Without a plan to deal with that…we're going to starve before the end of the year, and I don't think anyone, either those wishing to live in Aincrad or those wishing to leave, want that."

 **So, the governing body has been formed. I tried to keep it somewhat balanced between Fairy Tail characters and SAO characters, hence the reason Wendy got the spot for the Alfheim group. It took me a while to decide to place Jura as the wizard representative, but I didn't want to go with someone common and it made a lot of sense to place him in charge in some form. Anyway, feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

Wandering through the interior of this massive castle was fascinating. Granted, Kirito had strange company during his trip, but it didn't mean this place wasn't amazing. On the outside, it had looked like a floating fortress, unwelcoming and dangerous to anyone daring enough to try and enter. Inside, it was almost a replica of anything one could find in reality. With Zeref, he had walked through forests, while the man pointed out areas to avoid. "I wished to truly be able to experience a normal life…so this place is designed to replicate that as best I can. Dangerous animals were created as a result, for no ecosystem can maintain balance without its own predators."

His explanation had made a strange sort of sense to him, but that didn't mean he still wasn't lost as to what this guy was doing in this place. Convincing this man not to throw away his life was like trying to convince a baby not to cry when it was hungry. It just didn't seem to be possible to achieve. Any time Kirito brought the subject up, Zeref always found a way to counter his arguments. Really, it only enforced the idea that he had been considering this for an incredibly long time. It was as if he had heard all of the arguments before, and already had an answer as to why he still had to die, regardless of what others felt.

Instead, Kirito let the subject drop, deciding to think on it and bring it back up another time. So, he focused on following Zeref, watching the man practically give him a tour of this world he created. "We will be nearing the edge of the forest soon. If I recall correctly…we could potentially reach the next town by nightfall."

Nodding, Kirito ducked underneath a low-hanging branch on the path. The further they had gone, the more scarce animals were. Zeref said that was because the forest was wider in this area, and that the animals were more hidden amongst the trees. "Sounds good. I was beginning to think this forest would never end…"

With a slight smile, Zeref shook his head. "If you believe a trip that takes two days is forever, you have much to learn." They had stopped to make camp the other night, but Kirito found it difficult to sleep. Not only was the forest floor hard, he kept hearing unusual sounds from the forest around him. He was normally able to sleep through almost everything, but with all of his worries over what could happen in this place, he couldn't quite bring himself to relax. "Besides…this is the scenery I am more familiar with. In my more recent years, I did spend quite a bit of time on an isolated island…it was overrun by forests such as these, and it was the one place I found where I could rest without interference from mankind." He paused, studying the forest around them. "I suppose the island was more…colorful, then this forest, however. The plants were brighter, and the animals had been influenced by the magic of the island…it resulted in rather interesting creatures, wandering around the area and flying through the sky."

That explained a little bit, Kirito thought. The world labeled Zeref as a dead man, assuming his reign ended four hundred years ago. With that in mind, he still couldn't decide if the guy he was walking with was actually that wizard or not. However, isolation was a decent enough reason for the world to think he was gone. If no one had seen or heard of him in centuries, it only made sense for people to assume he had aged and died somewhere, vanishing without a trace. "If you liked that island so much, why did you even leave?"

Tilting his head, Zeref seemed to frown slightly. "It is…complicated, I suppose." He didn't speak much after that, letting the sounds of the forest fill the air for a moment. Somewhere, a bird chirped as the wind blew overhead, rustling the leaves on the trees. After a moment, Zeref sighed and closed his eyes. "I was…waiting for someone. In the end, I grew fearful that they would not arrive soon enough…so I left and returned to finish this project instead."

Hanging his head, Kirito felt his own expression turn into a frown. "Right…this project to get yourself killed." Oddly, almost everything ended up circling back to this topic between the two of them when they spoke.

"Actually, the person I was waiting for was supposed to kill me…this project was more of a long-term idea, one that even I was not certain would work." That was alarming, making Kirito's eyes widen and flash up towards him. Zeref turned his head back to stare at Kirito, a slight glint in his dark black eyes that made him look strangely amused. "You see, I needed to have something in place to stop myself, should my death truly be an impossible dream. This castle…that is its secondary purpose, in a way. Even I cannot escape, not without ending my own life first. And before you argue over that, I assure you, I've already attempted to end that life numerous times. In the end, all I managed to create was an era of endless agony."

Shuddering at the idea of how many times this guy had tried to mutilate himself, Kirito took a moment to take deep breaths. "Okay…you wanted to stop yourself. But what exactly did you need to be stopped from? Last I heard, you weren't exactly doing much in the world these days…Zeref's just the name of some ancient wizard that died, who created powerful black magic spells."

At this point, Kirito could see the trees thinning out around them. True to his earlier words, the forest was ending as they kept walking. "It isn't something I wish to speak about. To put it simply, let's just say my actions change with my mindset…and there was something very important I was on the verge of forgetting before coming here." Zeref seemed to glance up at the sky with that, pausing for a moment as Kirito kept moving until he stood by Zeref's side. "Being here, however…no, that is not quite it. Perhaps…finding a friend, is helping me recall how important such things are."

In situations like this, Kirito really wished he had more experience with people. Being called someone's friend, especially someone he met only a day ago, just felt…weird. Sure, he cared about others and wanted to keep his actual friends close, but was Zeref his friend? He couldn't deny that he wanted to help Zeref too, but he really didn't know much of anything about the guy. Thinking of a response to his comment wasn't easy as a result, so instead he gave Zeref a slight smile, nodding and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh…yeah. Glad to help." Really, he didn't even know what he was helping with. "So, what exactly were you planning on doing with me anyway? Sorry, I know this is a bit off topic…but just wandering around aimlessly doesn't seem like something a guy like you would want to do."

Zeref's gaze focused on the path ahead of them, and he began walking once more. "I told you before, I wished to show you the joys of this world. Oddly…I feel as if I could enjoy some form of life in this place. There is little for me to fear, and it isn't as if I am hunted in this world like I was back at home." Kirito wondered if he should have mentioned Laughing Coffin or not. However, Zeref continued before he had the chance. "Perhaps I am giving you an unfair advantage, but it wasn't as if I did not offer assistance to the people back in town. They simply did not wish to listen…and now, they will have to discover how to get by in this world on their own. Granted, there are sufficient materials to do so, but it will take them time to understand how to live without magic."

"And you've gotten used to it?" Kirito's question wasn't answered at first, so he elaborated further. "I mean, you are known as the Black Wizard…as one of the strongest wizards ever, actually. How did you go from that…to hating magic entirely?"

"One's legacy, and who they are often are not the same." Zeref spoke quietly, frowning. "Then again, I may as well not even try to change such things. In a way, I truly am the monster everyone claims…I was born a prodigy in magic, and I became a master of multiple branches of such power. No one could accomplish the things I could…and I relished in such power. However…it took me too long to see what I was sacrificing for my power…to see that I was destroying the world as I sought out a way to end my curse. That put things in perspective for me…and made me realize that it wasn't me, personally, causing such disasters…it was my magic. So, if my magic was what kept me cursed, what forced me to keep destroying, why not find a way to live without it?"

It was an unusual logic, but Kirito could see why it appealed to the guy. However, it didn't really answer his first question. "Making this place seems like a rather extreme way of doing that…but I guess you had enough time to make it—"

"Actually, extreme measures were required." He interrupted before Kirito even managed to get to his point. "A magical creation that blocks magic itself…such a design sounds impossible, contradictory even." There was an odd smile on his face with that comment, one that vanished quickly. "This was what I sought to create. I did not wish to be in a world, isolated and alone…part of me still longed to have friends, to still have my…family." He trailed off, biting his lip and shaking his head. Now, as Kirito looked at the man, he was beginning to see why he was so depressed. Considering his age…it really was impossible for any of his old friends or family to be alive.

When Zeref stopped there, not bothering to continue on, Kirito gave him a strained smile, reaching out and patting his shoulder awkwardly. He didn't really know much about comforting others, but that didn't mean he couldn't try. "Well, I have to say, I'm rather impressed with your work, Zeref. This place is amazing…and while I can't say I'm pleased to be stuck here, I am glad that I got to meet you. I mean…we're friends now, right?" It felt strange, saying that to this guy. However, it also felt like it was what Zeref needed to hear.

Taking a deep breath, Zeref seemed to wait for a moment. "Yes…and I suppose I am still adjusting to that concept myself. You did not strike me as someone so willing to make friends, Kirito. Oddly, that was why I wished to speak more with you…for I thought you would understand my own unusual tendencies better than others."

Laughing, Kirito rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…I'm kinda a loner. Asuna keeps telling me I need to get out and make more friends, though…somehow, I don't think this is what she meant." Nodding, Zeref chuckled and shook his head, moving forward again. Now, the area seemed to be clear of trees. Instead, the path cut through a field of flowers, leaving them surrounded by colors of all kinds. Kirito thought he heard insects buzzing around, making him wonder just how much detail Zeref had put into making this world.

"I am doubtful she would approve of your choice as well…however, does that mean you also regret coming along with me?" It was a question Kirito should have expected, considering how his current company seemed to hate himself.

Shaking his head, Kirito folded his arms behind his head as he walked, staring at the sky above them. Clouds seemed to be rolling by, and he wondered how Zeref had managed to recreate such a view inside of a building. Likely, magic, but there had to be some kind of limits on what it could do, right? "Nah, this is great. It sure beats hanging around town doing nothing any day. Like I said, I'm glad I got this chance to meet you." After a moment, Kirito found himself chuckling again, shaking his head. "Never thought I'd see the day when I said I was happy to meet the world's most wanted criminal."

With slightly wider eyes, Zeref nodded. "And I never thought I'd encounter someone so…open-minded. I think this world may accomplish exactly what I had hoped it would…and I hope you can one day forgive me for trapping everyone inside, Kirito. While my methods may not have been ideal, they were necessary if I were to have any hope of truly connecting with others."

Kirito turned his head back towards Zeref, opening his mouth to ask him what he meant. However, at that moment he felt the sharp breeze as something flew by his cheek, darting towards Zeref. The sun glinted off of a metal surface, and his own instincts kicked in. Jumping forward, he tackled Zeref to the ground and watched as the dagger flew and landed somewhere within the meadow around them. From the forest they just walked out of, a group of people in dark purple cloaks began to emerge. Pulling her hood down, Veronica stood in front of them all, a smile on her face. "Finally…I've found you."

Underneath him on the ground, Zeref seemed to be frowning, turning his head in confusion. Kirito rose to his feet first, not bothering to help Zeref up when his focus was trained on the threat entering this area. "Right…I had forgotten that I invited them as well."

"Let me guess, a real world isn't complete without criminals, right?" Kirito sighed when Zeref merely nodded, brushing off strands of grass and dirt that seemed to have clung to his robes. As he rose to his feet, Zeref reached behind his head, grasping the hilt of his sword in his hand. Unsheathing it, he stood ready to fight if it came down to it. Based on their earlier attack, he assumed that was likely going to be the case. "Well, congratulations, you've got some. Let me introduce you to Laughing Coffin, some group determined to find you in this place. They announced that one on day one."

Studying them, Zeref seemed to be frowning, his gaze dark and calculating. "I see…perhaps I did not decide properly when sending them this invitation. I had thought I found a guild that cared little about myself…but it appears I was mistaken." With that, Zeref scowled in irritation. "They are destroying the peace I wished to have in this place…and I am beginning to question the necessity of having them here."

It was such an odd phrasing that Kirito couldn't help but turn towards him with a frown. "What is that supposed to mean?" Veronica and her guild were moving closer. By her side, two men seemed to be moving forward, pulling out weapons of their own. One seemed to carry a hammer of some kind, while the other wielded a sword of his own.

Feeling a tug on something on his back, Kirito stumbled slightly. His second blade was unsheathed, the crystalline blue sword now being held in Zeref's grip. "It means I will be borrowing this for the time being. As I told you before…you have not yet reached the point of understanding what it means to take a life." There was a dark look in his gaze as he studied the others, carrying the blade with a strange confidence. Kirito didn't know where Zeref had learned to wield a weapon, but right now was not the time to ask him about it.

"We didn't come to fight you, Lord Zeref." Veronica spoke softly, moving closer. Keeping his gaze alert, Kirito scanned for more attackers other than the three approaching. He thought he saw movement in the trees still, but he couldn't quite verify if someone was there or not. Either way, he kept his sword raised to defend himself if need be. "We are your humble servants…here to make sure this world becomes the most feared of your creations. Laughing Coffin knows of your great deeds, and we seek to accomplish your goal in full." With a dark look in her eyes, Veronica knelt before Zeref and let her eyes lock with his. "You brought us here to be your villains, to kill anyone who got in our way. As we speak, more members of my guild are sneaking back into that lowly town we first started in. They are searching for our first targets…and helping create the terror this world is desperately lacking."

There was something oddly expressionless about Zeref at her words. Kirito's fist was tightening around his sword, his free hand shaking slightly as his jaw clenched into a grimace at her words. However, Zeref spoke before Kirito could move forward and demand to know her motives. "Laughing Coffin…the murderer's guild. I went to you, believing you all had reasons for your actions. Guilds exist to make money, and dark guilds…well, they are not that different in that manner. You are willing to do the actions most would shy away from, and you get revenge for people who have lost lives to criminals. After studying the jobs your guild performed, I was confident that you did not kill for the sake of killing…every job was completed with the mindset that you were ending the life of someone who had only brought harm to others."

Laughing, Veronica tossed her hair over her shoulder. With her hood down, Kirito could now see that the girl looked like she was somewhere in her twenties, with long purple hair and amused blue eyes. "Yeah? That's exactly what we want people to think…those fools come to us, thinking we're a guild that seeks nothing but vengeance and money. No one sees us for who we truly are…a guild that serves no one but ourselves. Maybe we are good at keeping a low profile, but in reality…we want nothing but power. You, Lord Zeref, are the epitome of what we wish to become…a master of death that kills relentlessly, destroying everything in your path! Our guild will do the same, killing and making this world fear our existence."

"That…that can't be your reasoning!" Kirito shouted at her before Zeref could say anything. The girl turned towards him, scowling in distaste. "You are talking about people's lives, something that you can never give back. Throwing them away…you're doing it just to prove a point? Just to make yourself feel strong?"

In her palm, Veronica seemed to be tossing around a single dagger. It would spin in the air twice, before she would catch it again and repeat the process. "Sure am, buttercup. Let me tell you a little secret…only the strong survive in this world." She stopped throwing her dagger, instead reaching down and pulling aside the bottom edge of her robe. Kirito's eyes widened at what he saw underneath. Her entire right leg was gone. In its place was some kind of metal prosthetic, barely even shaped to match her missing limb. It was covered by the fabric of black shorts, so he couldn't quite see how it attached to her body, but for now, it allowed her to stand. "When I was a little girl, dark wizards came and tried to kill my whole family. They said my parents were in possession of some spell book they wanted, a book of spells designed by the legendary Black Wizard. I was too young, too weak to do anything to stop them…and I watched as they killed my parents. But, I had magic too…the strength to fight back. That day, I tried to kill my first victim, but I was weak. One of those wizards was a requip wizard, meaning they use weapons to attack. He brought out an axe, and hacked off my leg since I tried to fight back with my fists."

Just imaging that, Kirito didn't know what to say. However, Veronica let her robe cover her lost limb quickly, smiling at both of them as if it was a pleasant bedtime story. "He thought I was about to die, with how much blood I was losing. So, they left me alone…but I survived. Those guys, they were strong…they knew what they wanted, and they weren't afraid to do whatever it took to get it. While I wanted my revenge…I couldn't help but admire that power, and want it for myself. So, I learned." She flipped her dagger around in her palm, pointing it towards Kirito. "I grew stronger, and once I had the power I needed, the magic that could defeat them, I found them. They were my first victims, the first people I killed with this very blade. I've never let it leave my side since that day. Luckily, that meant my daggers were on my person, rather than trapped in the void that holds weapons for us requip wizards."

"That…there are other ways to be strong…" Kirito saw the way her eyes seemed to narrow, her body crouching as if prepared to lunge towards him.

"I don't care about other ways! This is my way, the way I am following. If you've got a problem with that…I can show you just what Laughing Coffin is made of, weakling."

Holding a hand in front of Kirito as he moved to take her taunt, Zeref shook his head. "No. This is a dilemma I created, and as such, it is a matter for me to deal with." Stepping forward, Zeref watched as Veronica seemed to smile at him, her expression immediately becoming calmer with him there. "Your guild murders for no reason at all…it wastes away lives that I still wish to value…in fact, Laughing Coffin truly does remind me of the man I once was." Veronica's eyes brightened at that, a huge smile spreading across her face as she clapped her hands together. However, at that moment, Zeref lifted the sword in his hand, thrusting it into her stomach with a glare. "I hate that man and everything he represented…and your guild is destroying the peace this world was meant to bring me. For destroying my dream…I shall end every single one of you."

His warning was whispered into her ear, but Kirito was standing just behind them as he said it. Kirito's eyes were wide, locked on the sight of her body falling limply onto the ground. That smile seemed etched onto her face, never fading away as her eyes stared blankly at the world around her. As she fell, Kirito heard the sound of something clicking, and his eyes shot upward. Arrows were flying into the meadow, coming from the trees nearby. Clearly, they had planned this as an ambush with the numbers they had. Right now, they were the ones with the advantage too, not only in numbers but also in placement.

With his sword flying around him, Kirito began deflecting the projectiles swiftly. Arrows bounced off of his blade while Zeref merely watched them closely, dodging as needed. Moving on to the next melee weapon wielder, Zeref attacked. The one with the hammer seemed to recklessly swing his weapon about, as if untrained. Likely, this wizard wasn't familiar with the tool, but he still tried swinging down his weapon on Zeref's head. Jumping to the side, Zeref seemed to dodge with ease, quickly slashing through the man's stomach and leaving him collapsed on the ground just like Veronica.

The sword user was just as unskilled, slashing around aimlessly with his weapon. While the sword looked like it was designed for single-handed use, this guy was using both hands as if it would make the weapon more effective. As he swung around with little pattern to his movements, Zeref blocked each blow calmly, with the same dark expression on his face that he had carried from before. However, an arrow flying between them forced him to jump back and disengage. Those archers were becoming the real problem, Kirito realized.

Moving towards the forest, Kirito decided it was time for him to at least do something. Maybe he wouldn't kill, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight. Finding one hidden within the trees off the path, Kirito smirked and tapped on his shoulder. The man spun around, his eyes wide as he saw Kirito standing over him. "Hey, mind if I borrow that?" He pointed towards the bow, only for the man to scramble away, as if trying to flee. Shrugging, Kirito slammed his hilt down on the man's head, knocking him out quickly. He didn't need the other archers being alerted to his presence so early on.

Taking a guess that these guys weren't fully trained, Kirito grabbed his new weapon and began searching the trees for where the arrows were coming from. So long as he could get close, he should be able to scare them off at least. Based on how few arrows were even nearing their target, it was actually pretty safe to conclude a low skill level from this group. When another volley of arrows was released, Kirito saw at least two potential locations for archers. Taking aim at a tree branch above one of them, Kirito focused. The arrow wouldn't quite break it, but it would shake the branch and likely make some leaves fall on the guy. Unfortunately, there weren't any weak enough to completely break through.

Releasing his arrow, Kirito watched it hit the branch quickly. He heard a slight shout of surprise as birds rushed away from the tree, seeing the arrow as an attack. Underneath it, someone seemed to begin glancing around, panicked at the shot that landed so close to her. The girl was short, but she was agile as she ran through the forest, disappearing before Kirito could knock back another shot at her. Either way, he turned his focus on the other hiding spot. This time, there was a very thin branch lower down, practically a twig just begging to fall off. With a smirk, he prepared to let it drop on the unsuspecting attacker, releasing another arrow.

His smirk vanished as his shot went wide, though. It hit the tree behind the archer, rather than the one in front of her. Cursing under his breath, Kirito dropped to his stomach to try and hide his presence. Luckily, his dark clothes seemed to blend somewhat with the forest around him. Granted, it wasn't perfect camouflage, but it was better than nothing. This girl was a bit more daring than the others, searching the forest for her mysterious attacker. Right now, Kirito was wishing he knew a better marksman to be here, because right now, he was out of his element. A sword was his weapon of choice, but this situation called for a different one. Trying to adapt on the spot was a skill he had developed over his years of treasure hunting, but that didn't mean he was a complete expert yet.

Abandoning the bow, Kirito crawled away from his hiding spot while the girl was glancing away from him. He had done all that he could without getting caught. Now, it was just up to Zeref to get out of this situation alive. As he emerged back onto the path, he saw Zeref wiping off the sword carefully with a white cloth, cleaning the blood away. His gaze was distant, yet focused on the blade as if that single weapon held the answer to every question in his mind. As Kirito approached, the man wordlessly handed the blade back to him. One last shot came from the remaining archer in the forest, but both of them ignored it. Zeref simply continued walking on, not bothering to stop and mourn for the lives lost. Kirito glanced back at them, feeling his stomach churn at the sight of their bloodied bodies. Closing his eyes, he sheathed both swords once more, questioning just what had brought Zeref to the point where he could kill like that, and not even flinch as his enemies fell. Then again, maybe he wasn't so heartless as he tried to appear. After all, instead of moving through the meadow towards the town Zeref had mentioned, he had turned around, moving into the forest back towards the place they came from. His quickened pace was hard to match, but right now, Kirito was determined to get back before this insane group got anywhere near Asuna and his friends.

 **And we've got a bit of a fight, and now Zeref and Kirito are heading back to the Town of Beginnings! I do hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

With the Council finally in place, Lucy was beginning to relax a bit in this castle. Oddly, it felt weird thinking of it as a castle. Inside, it looked like a normal city so far. The place she had scouted out as her home was small and quant, just like her apartment in Magnolia. Even better, she didn't have to worry about rent because no one actually owned anything in this place yet. For now, it was set up like a single bedroom home. The floor was wooden, and the main living area was just slightly larger than her old room. The kitchen was connected to the living room, with no real division on which room was which other than the layout of furniture. Two doors led to the bedroom and the bathroom, which left her small little place complete.

In the living room, Lucy sat down in a light pink cloth sofa, sighing and leaning back. Just relaxing in this place really felt like she was home, almost. Her friends were in here, or at least most of them were. While her magic was gone, everything seemed oddly…normal, in this place. People had grown complacent with what little lives they were starting to build. When she walked by people on the street, they seemed to have calmed down from their initial panic of hearing they were trapped. Now, it was almost normal to feel like they all belonged here.

Glancing out the large window, Lucy wondered what to do now that their governing system was decided on. She had heard rumors that their food supplies were running low. From the start, they had all been spreading out rations evenly from the warehouse found on day one. People made what they wanted out of the food, and stored it in their own homes. With how much food there was, no one was concerned about actually running out. Either way, it seemed like it was finally beginning to happen. She hoped they figured out something to deal with it, before it was completely gone.

She heard a slight crash as she rested, making her frown and turn her head towards the front door. Looking through the kitchen, Lucy scanned the area for signs of further danger. However, only silence continued meeting her. Slowly, she began turning her body so she could get to her feet and investigate. However, the next sound was a shout, followed by a strange pounding noise. It was as if someone was slamming against the walls of her home, and it made Lucy scowl in irritation. She was trying to relax, couldn't Natsu and Gray wait to have another brawl until tomorrow? And did they really have to start it just outside of her home, rather than keeping it to their own places like normal people? Natsu had already gotten back into his habit of breaking into her room on the second day of being in this place. She didn't want the others joining in too.

With a glare prepared on her face, Lucy stomped over towards the door and threw it open. Placing her hands on her hips, she planned on shouting at the culprit of interrupting her relaxation, but stopped and stared with wide eyes at what she found instead. Yes, someone was fighting outside her house. However, it wasn't Natsu and Gray like she first thought. Instead, she saw Jet being thrown against the side of the building. Standing over him was a smirking man, tall and muscular. With Jet's thin frame designed for speed, he likely couldn't do much against his attacker at a glance.

With her glare fading away, Lucy saw other people watching the fight. Most of the people in this area were wizards who gathered together to stick with what they knew. However, that also meant there weren't many people suited to dealing with threats like this, not in a place without magic. "Look…I don't know what you want, but just leave me alone, alright? I'm not here to start any fights." Jet tried talking the strange man down, but it didn't seem to work.

Crouching down, the stranger seemed to smirk and lean over him. "You seem like a smart kid. So, tell me, do you recognize this guild mark?" With that, the man pulled down the edge of his robe, revealing a strange mark on his shoulder underneath. It looked like an oddly shaped object, with a disturbing smiling face drawn over it.

"Laughing Coffin…that's the mark that girl had on day one…" Lucy breathed out the name with wide eyes, making the man turn towards her instead.

She stepped back as he approached her, dropping Jet. "Oh, what have we here? Another smart kid, and a girl at that. You know, I always liked killing the girls more than the men. Their screams are just that much sweeter to my ears."

This guy was just creepy, Lucy decided. While her keys might be useless, that didn't mean she was completely helpless. Pulling out her whip, she brandished it with a grin. "Well, you clearly haven't fought a girl like me. I may not have magic in this town, but that doesn't mean I'm going to just stand around and let you hurt my friends."

Smiling at her, Jet slowly seemed to try and get back on to his feet. "Thanks, Lucy. Any friend of Levy's is a friend of mine. So, you want some help getting back at this creep? I can't say I'm armed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to back off either. I'm not letting him get to Droy or Levy, not if I can help it."

Uncertain of when his team had gotten threatened, Lucy just smiled and nodded. However, the man in front of them seemed to expect this, smirking and reaching to grab Jet. Even without his magic, Jet's body was built for speed. He ducked out of the way, running around him and slamming his fist into the man's side. The punch had no effect on their enemy, however. The man only raised an eyebrow, daring Jet to try again.

Somewhere else, Lucy heard a faint scream. This man wasn't the only attacker, then. Lashing out with her whip, Lucy watched it wrap around the attacker's wrist. Glancing down at the weapon, he smirked and tugged on his arm, dragging Lucy forward with his strength. Scowling in irritation, Lucy tried digging her heels in to the ground, but even with all her weight and strength pushing against him, he still managed to overpower her. Grimacing, she eventually released her whip when she saw how close to the man she was getting, letting him take her weapon in order to at least keep herself safe.

Crouching down, Lucy tried to see anything else that might help her. She didn't have her whip, but that didn't mean there wasn't something she could use. However, she also didn't have time. "Poor little thing, acting all tough only to see that you're weak. That's the problem with wizards without magic…they just don't know when to give up. Luckily for us, I specialized in body enhancement magic…meaning I had to make my body strong, if I wanted my magic to have any use."

Hearing that, Lucy realized why this guy was so strong, even without magic. He might have been a part of a dark guild, but he fought with his fists, even with his magic. That meant she really was at a disadvantage. Grimacing, Lucy tried searching for a weapon again, only to fail a second time. The man raised his hand, closing his fingers into a fist. The punch came swiftly, and Lucy tried ducking to let his fist fly over her head. However, he had been aiming low originally. Instead of slamming into her side like he planned, it ended up slamming into her shoulder, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Her bare skin dug into the cement ground, and she felt it tear some off as she rolled to the side.

Grimacing, Lucy ended up on her stomach, pushing herself up to stare at the man approaching yet again. As she tried to rise, he kicked her deeper into the street, away from her home. "Stop it…you won't get away with this…" Lucy tried convincing him to let her go, but he only smirked.

"And why would I? That look of fear…you've got just the look I was hoping for." The man licked his lips, before chuckling darkly. "Laughing Coffin lives for these moments…the moments when people realize they will never be strong enough to destroy us. My name…the last name you will learn…is Alistair." It sounded a bit off, considering his appearance, but Lucy didn't comment. His nearly shaved blond hair was just a layer of fuzz on his head, and the look in his dark brown eyes made her wonder if this really was it for her. This man wanted to kill, and no one else was willing to stand up to him and stop this.

Another scream echoed in the air, and Lucy wondered if anyone was actually getting out of this safely. Hopefully, the others would have more luck if treasure hunters were around. At least they knew how to deal with battles without using magic. "Fairy Tail won't let you get away with this." She did manage to finish her warning from before, staying defiant as he lifted his foot. With a scowl, he slammed it down onto her stomach, knocking the breath out of her. She choked slightly, gasping as he put more weight on the foot resting on her.

"Shut up, I've heard enough from you. Unless you want to start screaming, of course." Behind him, Jet seemed to become enraged. He slammed his fists into the man's back, repeatedly dealing blows to try and cause some kind of damage. However, Jet's arms were weak. Really, Lucy wanted to tell him to try kicking instead, but she couldn't speak with the weight on her body. Either way, Alistair swung his arm behind him, slamming Jet across the street and into a different building. He collapsed again, his head hanging low. Looking at him now, Lucy could see bruises already forming from his battle with this man. He had fought so hard, and this was the end result.

Alistair reached down towards Lucy, his hands grasping her neck. "Such smooth skin…breaking this little neck of yours would be so easy." His grip tightened, cutting of her air. Lucy's hands lifted, trying to pry his grip off of her, only to realize that much like before, she was far weaker than this man. She needed her spirits to help, but she couldn't call them out. "That would be too easy, though. How would I hear those screams if I killed you suddenly?"

Why was he doing this? Lucy wanted to ask, wanted to know why she had to die. Oddly, she didn't imagine death coming quite like this. Sure, she had been fighting with all her strength, but she always thought she'd be older. She thought she would be fighting with her friends, facing some unstoppable monster on a mission. Heck, she had hoped that she would die peacefully in her sleep, but realistically, she expected it to happen on a mission, with a set goal in mind. She didn't expect it to be like this, to come randomly from a complete stranger she had never done anything to. He had no reason to hate her, yet he seemed to smile so brightly as she struggled to try and take a breath through the hands closing her windpipe.

Her vision was fading slightly when suddenly the pressure vanished. Inhaling deeply, Lucy relished in the sensation of cool air filling her lungs. She coughed slightly at first, still feeling a bit unstable after running so low on oxygen. As she leaned forward, she could blearily see two figures struggling in the street. Dark black hair was visible, along with a startling blue sword and matching black robes. She thought she saw a flash of white as well, but she was still working on getting her vision back to be sure.

Kneeling down next to her was another blurry face. With her obscured vision, it looked almost like the other guy's brother, but that opinion changed as her dimmed vision slowly began to lift to reveal more details. "Hey, it's going to be alright. Just take deep breaths…we'll deal with this. Just…don't freak out too much, okay?" The face near her was Kirito, she realized. He was talking, but she was still too dazed to think of why he was worried over her reaction. However, that confusion vanished as her gaze flickered over towards the fight, seeing a sword stabbed through Alistair's arm. It was pulled out swiftly, with a man agilely spinning around to dodge Alistair's enraged retaliation. A fist was sent flying towards the newcomer, though the more Lucy stared at him, the more she realized he wasn't new at all.

"But that's…that's…" She couldn't find the words, pointing to the man that seemed to be overpowering her attacker with ease. Another slash later, and the man's throat was cut through. He clutched it tightly, falling to the ground and leaving the creator standing in the street. Whispers began quickly from people who recognized him, even after all of these months.

Nodding, Kirito grimaced and swallowed. "I know…I don't really like watching this either. But…the people we're up against, they aren't going to stop until either they, or we, are dead. That much I figured out when their group attacked us just to prove a point." His gaze lifted back to stare at the creator, who looked rather calm considering what he had just done.

Walking closer to Lucy and Kirito, the creator seemed to study them for a moment. "There are likely more in this place. If I recall correctly, Laughing Coffin has nearly fifty members. This would make four dead, and at least three outside this town."

Nodding in agreement, Kirito stood. "Right…they made it sound like this was their first major attack. If I were them…I'd have brought in the strongest members to fight, to try and be discrete yet impactful on the job." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Based on the fact that most of them are wizards…that would lower their numbers. I'd estimate maybe three more, considering how few styles of magic would allow them to be skilled in physical combat after so little time."

Tilting his head slightly, the creator seemed to consider Kirito's words while others watched, still afraid to approach. "I suppose that would be one possibility. Regardless, this will not be the end of it. Dark guilds never give in easily; they are used to constant threats to their existence simply due to their illegality."

"Um…I hate to interrupt…but since when do you two even know each other?"

Lucy's comment made Kirito blink, his eyes widening for a moment. Then, he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head while his other hand gripped the hilt of a long, black sword. "Ah…that…yeah, I kinda…got bored and went exploring for a bit? I didn't expect to run into Ze—er, this guy while I was out there, though." Hearing his near slip, Lucy's eyes widened. He knew the real name of the creator, that much she was certain of. It started with a Z, but Lucy hadn't caught enough details to know exactly what that name could be.

Across the street, Jet lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Weren't we supposed to stick around until the Council was formed?"

Blinking, Kirito frowned at him. "Council? Wait, they actually figured something out?" Before Jet could answer, the creator seemed to nudge Kirito slightly. Pointing out into the street, he gestured towards a small group of people that seemed to be running away in fear, passing into their block as they fled.

"We can deal with this later, It appears as if there is another deeper in town." Nodding, Kirito frowned and seemed to take a step towards the street. His companion moved with, hesitating for a moment when he saw Kirito pause. "I find it amusing. You were the one who was so willing to slay Kayaba, were you not? Yet now that you see the truth of what it takes…you cannot seem to bear even watching death occur."

Stepping forward, Lucy glared at the man, standing next to Kirito. "Hey! You don't have the right to criticize him. Of course he's upset watching all of this…people's lives are important, no matter what they've done. You're just…there's something wrong with you, if you think you can just throw away lives like they have no meaning at all—"

"Is that how it appears to you?" He interrupted, tilting his head and studying Lucy closely. More shouts were heard in the distance, making Kirito tense, but his companion didn't even flinch at the noise. "Perhaps it would…in many ways, I have grown used to always being surrounded by death. While it may seem as if life holds no meaning to me, I assure you, that is a false assumption. Every death only reminds me of that fact…of the one thing I can never seem to let go of."

There was a coldness to his voice, as if he didn't care if Lucy believed him or not. However, it also left no room for debate. "I…I don't understand. If you value their lives, then why…?" She trailed off, unable to see his logic.

Instead of answering, he began walking down the street towards where others had come from. Kirito followed, and after a moment, Lucy joined them. "Your curiosity outweighs your fear. I suppose you and Kirito are alike in that matter." The man spoke calmly, though his gaze remained focused. "Neither of you will likely understand this, I suppose…but the simple answer to your question is because I know nothing else. Valuing life always leads to death…and as such, I find it to be a waste of time to mourn over lost lives for long."

When Lucy moved to comment again, about to point out the absurdity in his logic, Kirito stepped in. "Yeah…he's kinda weird like that. He doesn't give straight answers, but trust me, he means well…sorta." She wondered what he did to convince Kirito that this sick game of his was a good thing. "Once you spend some time in this place, you'll see that it isn't as bad as it first seemed. Not that I don't want to get out…but I also don't think we need to make that our sole focus, either."

"We've been here for the same amount of time, idiot." That only made Kirito give her a weak laugh, turning down another street to follow after the creator. "Either way…I kinda get what you're saying. It still doesn't change the fact that he trapped us here like animals, and he expects us to just sit back and take that."

"Actually, I expected some of you to at least attempt and find Kayaba at this point. Oddly, only Kirito and Laughing Coffin have left town thus far." The creator spoke calmly, and he didn't even turn his head to make his comment. "In terms of being trapped, I suppose that isn't entirely untrue. But tell me, what do you see that is different from your home? Is there anything lacking? Some form of scenery you are missing?" His gaze turned, landing on her hand for a moment with narrowed eyes. "You are a member of Fairy Tail. If you long to see something familiar…there is a dedication for _her_ on one of the next floor. I didn't expect so many from that guild to be here, however."

Unsure of who he was talking about, Lucy looked towards Kirito for answers. "Not a clue. Like I said, he's a pretty secretive guy…I've spent most of my time trying to convince him to change his mind about…er, something." Kirito didn't seem willing to share what he was trying to talk the creator out of doing. From the sounds of it, though, it wasn't this place at all.

With a sigh, the man leading them seemed to decide to reveal something further. "Mavis, Fairy Tail's first master. I was…close to her, in the past." His gaze was distant for a moment, before he shook his head and focused once more. "Regardless, you won't find the floor designed to resemble Tenrou Island until you attempt to move forward. Staying around in this town will suffice for survival, but I am quite aware of how adventurous the people I've trapped are. Soon enough…someone will wish for more, and then, they will begin to see that killing the one tied into the seal on the door is not as simple as you might think."

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy glared at him. coming into an intersection, Lucy realized they were actually beginning to leave the residential area. Businesses that had not yet been claimed resided on both sides of the streets. Only a few people had asked to utilize the spaces inside of them, and the few businesses started really hadn't begun selling a thing. It was just a way to pass the time, hoping to gain some semblance of normalcy in this unusual place. "Yeah, and who's fault is that? You were the one that created the monsters, not us."

Glancing towards Kirito, Lucy saw an odd smile on his face. "Actually, the more accurate term would be demons. Regardless of what you call them, though, I suppose their strength remains unchanged."

His comment made Kirito glance away, keeping his head low so Lucy couldn't see her friend's expression. Something weird was going on with them, and she wanted to know what it was. Either way, now wasn't the time to deal with it. As they found another battle in progress, Lucy was about to try and tell the creator to just incapacitate the attacker. However, she didn't speak up soon enough. Before she could even move, he had attacked, stabbing through the cloaked girl and leaving her collapsed on the ground in moments, just as she had begun overpowering another victim.

Much like near Lucy's home, people were too afraid to approach the man heartlessly killing the people assaulting their town. The more attackers they found, the more fearful others became too. Conversations became a thing of the past between them, and Lucy was beginning to feel like maybe she should have stayed home. All she was doing was watching an endless slaughter, seeing the creator kill every person attacking town. Sometimes, they had even arrived too late to save anyone, but that didn't stop his rage. The dark look in that man's expression only seemed to worsen with every attacker, taking on a new determination to kill everyone he met.

When they neared the church, Lucy wondered if the Council was still meeting inside. Either way, it didn't matter too much. As they got closer, she saw that Asuna was outside, fending off another member of Laughing Coffin. Both were swiftly moving about, attacking each other with weapons. Asuna's was some kind of small sword, though Lucy didn't quite know the name of it. The other girl seemed to utilize a shield and dagger, likely picked up from some place in town from the looks of it. Lucy thought she had seen a store with decorative weapons like those on display, though no one had really gone inside to claim any of them.

The shield was used to block most of Asuna's quick attacks. Meanwhile, the girl was actually proving to be quite agile. When another attacker stepped in to attack with a mace, the Laughing Coffin member smirked and jumped aside, lashing out with her own weapon. The pink haired attacker quickly moved out of the way, grimacing and focusing further on getting in a good hit. "She's got some skill. Makes you wonder where she trained, actually." Kirito spoke quietly, watching the fight for a moment. However, when his gaze landed on Asuna, something seemed to ignite in his gaze. "Asuna…she's going after Asuna." His hand lifted, gripping his sword tightly as he began to look ready to charge forward.

With a yell, he did just that. Lucy watched as he took off, reaching out to stop him just a moment too late. However, by her side, the creator only seemed to smile at his determination. "He will be fine. There are few capable of finding the motivation necessary to harm another living being…and in this world, he needs to be trained to have the willingness to kill. With her life on the line, he just may be willing to cross that line. The sooner he learns of that feeling…the sooner he'll realize the truth of what must happen for everyone to escape this place you seem to hate so much."

With that, the creator seemed to relax, observing and not intervening for the first time today. While Lucy was relieved for the bloodbath to stop, his words did not make it last. Kirito wasn't a killer. She had seen the kindness in his eyes, and the way he laughed with his friends. Taking a life would change that, and she didn't want him to go through it. However, the fierceness in the way Kirito seemed to slash out at the woman's sword only seemed to enforce the creator's words. Each attack was pushing her back, even if his blade did not touch her body. Kirito's physical strength was greater than Lucy thought, able to push her back with just his swift attacks.

"Kirito!" Asuna's shout came when she noticed the swordsman in battle, but Kirito was too focused to reply.

Instead, he stepped back, letting the attacker go on the offensive for a moment. The girl's blade lashed out, though it was quickly blocked by Kirito's own sword. As he pushed her sword back, the girl began another slash, moving to cut down into his shoulder. Stepping to the side, Kirito let it pass by him, instead lunging forward to try and pierce her side with his sword. Her shield moved at the last second, intercepting the blade and letting the ring of metal clashing on metal settle into the air.

Moving to join him, Asuna charged forward. "Kirito, switch out!" It was an odd request, but Kirito seemed to nod, breathing heavily and jumping back. With those words, Asuna took his place, her sword flashing about in a quick succession of attacks. With the girl's shield raised to block Asuna, her focus was diverted. When Asuna took a break to pull back her sword and attack again, the Laughing Coffin member smirked and used it as an opening, pushing her sword forward towards Asuna at the same time. With wide eyes, Asuna could only stare at the oncoming attack.

At the last moment, Kirito jumped in, his sword lunging between both attackers. It blocked the blow heading towards Asuna, and his black eyes seemed to glare fiercely at the member of the dark guild. Surprised by his block, she jumped back to put some distance between them. However, that was when an arrow came flying from one of the church windows. It shattered the glass, letting the noise fill the air as it flew towards the Laughing Coffin member. Hearing the noise, she turned towards it, only for her eyes to widen at the sight of the weapon. Her shield lifted to block it, and as it did so, her back turned towards Kirito. "Kirito, don't do it!" Lucy tried to stop him, but with an enraged cry, Kirito lifted his blade. It slashed down on her back, leaving the girl gasping and in pain. Her shield dropped to the ground, and at that moment, the arrow flew forward and pierced its mark. Sinking deep into her chest, the arrow sunk into her and left her weak, collapsing to the ground. With wide eyes, both Lucy and Kirito watched as she slumped on the ground, no longer moving or even breathing after the fierce battle.

 **And there's the battle against Laughing Coffin! I do hope you enjoyed. Now, there's the aftermath to deal with, and Kirito's reaction to what he has just done. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

He had been angry. Kirito knew that much. Seeing that girl attempting to kill Asuna made him willing to do anything to stop it. However, this was not what he wanted to do either. His hands were shaking, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the still form of the girl on the ground. He didn't even know her name, yet he just killed her. Zeref had said he wasn't ready, but he hadn't stepped in. Why? Why did Zeref let him do this? Clearly, the man understood what killing felt like. He knew the guilt that came as a result, and he understood the chill that kept his body frozen in place. Oddly, his legs were completely numb, though somehow, they had given out and he was kneeling on the ground. His sword clattered to the street, echoing around them as he hung his head forward.

Asuna seemed to be coming towards him, her hand rubbing his back gently. "You idiot…you reckless idiot. Just what were you thinking?" Her hands clutched his shirt tightly, her head pressing into the space between his shoulder blades. It felt oddly warm, unlike the rest of his body. However, unlike normal, her presence brought him little comfort. "I was so worried about you…you just vanished and no one knew where you went. Then, this attack began…and I couldn't help but wonder if they found you too. Don't you dare put me through that again, Kirito!"

There were tears in her eyes, he could tell that much from the way she spoke. However, he still couldn't face her. Instead, his gaze remained locked on the body on the ground, with his hands resting in his lap. "Shouting isn't going to change anything." Some girl walked out from the church, calmly speaking with a bow in her hands. She was likely the one that had killed the girl, technically speaking. Either way, it wouldn't have happened if Kirito hadn't slashed through her back, taking away her strength to block that arrow. "Killing someone isn't something you get over easily, take it from me." She knelt down in front of him, holding out her hand with a calm expression in her gaze. "I'm Sinon, and I'm working with your friends on the Council in this place. Looks like you and I make a pretty good team, swordsman."

"Kirito." She blinked, while Kirito clenched his hands into fists on his legs. "My name…it's Kirito. Figured you should know it, since you're likely sending me to whatever prison system you've set up now."

Calmly, another person seemed to walk into his field of vision. Black robes seemed to sway before him, making him glance up to see Zeref calmly studying his expression. "I've told you before, I made no such rules in this place. Killing is allowed, stealing is allowed…however, I personally despise pointless deaths. As such, I took it upon myself to intervene when I learned of their plan…and it seems as if you agree with that mindset, Kirito." Taking a seat, Zeref seemed to completely ignore the body behind him on the street. "If you think murder makes you evil, then why would you befriend someone such as me?"

It was an odd question, one that made the mace wielder back away from him slightly. "Murder…wait, you've killed people before? Oh no…you've trapped us all in this place so we can die." With a fierce glare, that girl seemed to stomp her foot into the street. "If you think I'm just going to sit back and let you—"

"Relax, he isn't going to kill you." Glancing up, Kirito blinked in surprise. Now that he looked at her more closely, he recognized her. She was the one that forged his second sword, the one that Zeref was still carrying. "Wait…Lisbeth? You're here too?"

The girl blinked at him, before laughing slightly and rubbing the back of her head. "Uh…yeah, funny seeing you here, Kirito. So…I kinda ended up being the representative for the crafters on the Council. Oh, and no offense, but Asuna kicked your butt in the election within the treasure hunters." She smirked at that, placing her hands on Asuna's shoulders proudly.

"Hey! Can't you see now is not the time to bother him with things like that?" Asuna tried to stop her, but it didn't seem to have much affect.

From within the church, another figure seemed to join them. "Is it over? Sorry I couldn't help…Agil stayed behind to make sure no one got to me, too…I just got in everyone's way…" With dark blue hair and large brown eyes, Kirito recognized Wendy joining the others.

"Do not be afraid to admit such things, Wendy. All of us have our own downfalls. Even I recognized my own and remained inside, since it is unlikely pure strength could overcome someone's skill with a blade." A tall bald man spoke, one that Kirito didn't think he had met quite yet.

With so many people around, Zeref seemed to be growing more and more quiet. He kept his gaze focused on Kirito, however, his eyes would occasionally dart around him towards the others. "It appears as if we did manage to save the majority of them. With that, I think it is best to continue on our way." Rising to his feet, Zeref offered a hand towards Kirito once more. He stared at it, uncertain of what to do. "You did nothing wrong, Kirito. All living things ultimately die, it is a natural part of life. Feeling guilt will only stop you from moving forward…and I do not wish to keep you trapped in this place with the others."

He felt Asuna's grip tighten on his shoulders, her head shooting up to glare at Zeref. "Hey! I don't care who you are, you can't just walk over here and expect Kirito to go with you without question. He's one of us, a member of my—"

"Asuna, not now." Kirito sighed, running a hand through his hair. None of them would understand, he realized. No one else was willing to speak to Zeref and get to know him, not like he was. Reaching up, he grabbed Zeref's hand, letting the man pull him to his feet. "Besides, I kinda agreed to help him out for a bit. You see, he's got his own goal in mind…and I want to change it." He paused before he moved to leave, however, reaching over behind his back to grab the bag he had been given. "But…before I leave, I guess I should leave something behind. I was planning on bringing this back for everyone anyway, with how things were going…" He reached inside, pulling out the boars he had stashed away to feed everyone. Granted, it was a few days old, but Zeref had helped him cook the meat up to make it last a little bit longer.

Leaving the meat behind, he felt the others gazing at him with wide eyes. "Kirito…you aren't seriously planning on leaving with…with him, are you?" Lucy watched him closely, her eyes wide. "He just forced you to kill someone…"

In a way, he understood her viewpoint. Zeref had been able to kill the others with ease. His strength with a sword was unusual for a wizard, and when Kirito asked about it, all Zeref said was that it came from his time training an army. What kind of army Zeref had trained Kirito would never know, but he supposed the details didn't matter. "He didn't force me to do anything. That's what none of you seem to understand…he never once forced us to take this job, and he warned us about the risks. We were the ones who refused to listen…so while all of you sit there and complain about being trapped here, take a moment and think about the job _you_ agreed to take. He said we'd likely be here for the rest of our lives…but you laughed him off." The others were staring at him with wide eyes. Asuna was taking a step away, shocked that he was taking Zeref's side.

"Kirito…maybe you have a point, but that still doesn't change the fact that he—" Asuna tried to begin to counter his argument, but Kirito didn't allow it.

"What? Made this place? Brought us here? Did he not say he was going to do that?" With a wave of his hands, Kirito sighed and shook his head. "He gave us choices, and he told us why we were here. All he wants…is to live in peace. These people trying to kill each other, and all of you trying to think of ways to escape…just remember that according to him, the only way out is to become a murderer. You stare at me like I'm a monster for protecting Asuna like that…but the man behind me wasn't lying. In this place, in this world…there are no rules saying we cannot kill. Laughing Coffin knows that, and they're taking advantage of it. If we don't fight back, how else are we going to survive? Maybe it is wrong, and maybe it is horrible to think about…but sometimes, you have to kill someone, or let them kill you…and this time, I chose to live."

His hands were still shaking slightly, but he felt oddly empowered by his words. One day, he'd actually believe what he was telling them. His conviction for those words would grow, and he would forget this even happened. As Zeref smiled at him, nodding and turning to walk away, Kirito moved to follow. No one here seemed to be willing to see the truth of this world, at least not yet. Maybe in time, he would be able to bring his friends back to his side. Otherwise…he would be on his own yet again, with no one but a depressed former wizard to keep him company.

* * *

Asuna didn't know what to do. Kirito had left, claiming that everyone in this castle was meant to become a killer. The image of Kirito jumping in front of her to protect her was locked in her mind. The enraged look in his eyes had made him so unreachable, and no one could have stopped him from dealing that blow. Yet, why was he working with the man that trapped them here? She couldn't understand it. Yet, she supposed it was something to deal with at another time.

After the attack had finished. Lisbeth, Sinon, Agil, Wendy, Jura, and Asuna went back into their established council building for an emergency meeting. Lucy was calming down the others outside, telling them the attack was done with and that the council was deciding on what to do next. However, Asuna's strength was wavering. How could she do anything when it was likely going to be punishing Kirito as well now? He had always been by her side. She remembered her first time out alone, having just run away from her parents before she joined her guild. Back then, she had thought she could handle herself. She had taken the rapier hidden in with her family's odd treasures and trinkets, thinking that alone would get her through whatever she would find. Then, she went to the ruins that had just been discovered in the town outside her house. She had planned to find enough treasure to buy her a trip far away, yet that wasn't quite how things had turned out.

Some monster had been guarding the ruins. Asuna encountered it, believing it to mean she was going to die. Then, Kirito had appeared, wielding his swords like an expert and jumping in with ease. He had to have realized she was new, and yet he asked her to help him. He asked for her to continue striking at the monster while he held off its attacks for her. So, she had done just that, feeling the exhilaration of treasure hunting for the first time. When Kirito looked back at her, he advised her to find a guild to improve her skills before going at it alone again. That was what led her to the Knights of the Blood Oath, and from there back to her home where she rebelled from within their walls, rather than by risking so much and trying to run off on her own.

In the meeting room, everyone was waiting for her to begin leading the meeting. She usually did, after all. So, she took a deep breath and shook off her memories, looking up and meeting their gazes. "Okay. As we all just witnessed, we are under attack from Laughing Coffin, the dark guild that left town the first day we arrived. Thus far, we seem to have managed their first assault…but I am certain that was only a fraction of their numbers."

"Of course it was. They were probably just trying to see what we were made of with this group." Sinon crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in her seat. "Tactically speaking, taking on a massive group like this works best if you know our strengths and how to separate us into smaller groups. I'd assume they were planning on just coming in and going out after a few brief battles. Clearly, they were not expecting the creator to show back up."

"Speaking of which…are we planning on just ignoring that he came back?" Lisbeth glanced over at Asuna, narrowing her eyes. "That creator is the only reason any of this is happening to begin with! I say we go out and track him down, because this is taking things too far."

"But…he only came back to help." Wendy spoke quietly, looking down at the table. "If he hadn't come back, I don't think any of us would have been willing to…to stop them like that. Maybe it was wrong, and maybe there was another way…but I think that he still managed to save lives."

"You are advocating for a man who kills his enemies?" Jura raised his eyebrows at her, before sighing and shaking his head. "That is never the way to deal with such matters. Perhaps he was attempting to aid us, but that does not abolish his own dark ideology that none of us can even begin to comprehend. He needs to be stopped, before he views us as a block to whatever goal he hoped to accomplish with this castle."

"I agree that he's a problem, but right now, Laughing Coffin is the more urgent threat." Agil leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. "The creator has been hiding who knows where for the last six months. He only now showed his face when we were under attack. Do you think that's just some coincidence? He's watching us somehow. Maybe he's at least hoping for us to survive to some degree. So, I'd say we deal with Laughing Coffin, and from there, we'll figure out what to do about him next."

Looking around, Asuna slowly nodded. "We'll put it to a vote. All in favor of dealing with Laughing Coffin as our primary threat, raise your hands." Agil, Sinon, Wendy, and Jura all joined in. Lisbeth stubbornly kept her hands crossed, looking away from them all with a stubborn glare.

"Don't blame me when this decision comes to bite us in the butt." Lisbeth sighed, returning her focus to the table. "Either way, the decision has been made. So, dealing with Laughing Coffin…from what I just saw, we're hopelessly outclassed as we stand. We're running low on resources, the majority of the people here can't fight with a weapon…and we have no idea what lies outside of these walls. Overall, I'd say they know a heck of a lot more about this place than any of us do and that gives them the advantage."

"Actually…we did just obtain some more food for our stores." Asuna looked down at the table, clasping her hands tightly into fists. "Kirito left some behind. There…there's likely a way to obtain food outside of the city, then. Based on what he gave us, I'd say we need to establish some sort of hunting routine." Thinking for a moment, Asuna looked up and met their gaze. "Given our current skill levels, I'd recommend establishing a team of treasure hunters to take on that task. Do you have any objections to this method of replenishing our supplies?"

"As much as the people I represent would like to say it would be unfair towards wizards, I am aware that we are not capable of accomplishing much with our current states." Jura nodded towards her, smiling faintly. "Yet, I am not them, and I believe in doing what is best for all given the current circumstances. If it keeps us alive, I agree with establishing a small team to venture outside of the walls and obtain food for everyone within."

Nodding, Asuna continued gazing around. Sinon shrugged, staying rather relaxed in her seat with the others not objecting in any way. So, she smiled and nodded. "Alright, then I will get on that as soon as we're finished here. That handles the issue of resources—"

"Not exactly." Lisbeth interrupted, sitting up straighter and shaking her head. "That handles the food resources, yes, but we lack in weaponry as well. If we are beginning a war with this group, we need to have a strong defense, and that means weapons and armor. The crafters can begin making these things…but this town only has so many materials to use. We'd have to prioritize what we make in some form, and while I'd love to say focus on defense and craft armor, we'd likely run out of materials before making much of anything that way. Armor takes a lot more metal and time to create than simple weapons, and without weapons, we're all dead anyway."

Frowning, Asuna stood up and folded her arms over her chest. There had to be some way around their lack of materials. Oddly, she couldn't help but think back to what the creator had described, speaking of how there was everything they'd need in this world to survive. Somewhere, there would be more materials. "Then we'll get to work on what we can manage with what we have. Do we want to form a scouting team to start searching for more crafting resources? The creator seemed to imply that we'd find more as we explored other areas."

"It wouldn't hurt, that's for sure. We'd need to get info on the layout of the land anyway if we plan to find and hunt down Laughing Coffin." Sinon spoke, leaning back in her seat.

Nodding, Wendy smiled at Asuna. "And I think it would be great help. We could probably limit what needs to be made by organizing a list of requests. Each person will likely have a preference on what weapon they learn after all…or maybe that would just waste more materials. I'm not a crafter, so I guess I can't really speak for what would help the best."

"Actually, I think it is a great idea. If we don't make the right weapons, we'd simply be wasting what we have." Agil glanced towards Lisbeth, nodding his head. "I'd be happy to organize some merchants to help you with that. We can organize a process where those without weapons and gear can make requests of what they think would suit them for use. Plus, we have plenty of merchants that are skilled at figuring out what weapon would suit someone best, since there are quite a few in my guild that specialize in selling weaponry."

For the first time, it sounded like everyone was working together. Lisbeth nodded with a smile, looking eager to get started. "Sounds like a plan. Do you want to send someone over to my blacksmith shop once you've got a list ready? Then again…we'd want to start as soon as possible, so we might want a designated messenger…"

"My group can handle that!" Wendy smiled brightly, volunteering quite quickly. "We haven't been all that useful to the effort yet…I think this would be a great way for us to help."

"And in the meantime, us wizards can begin training I imagine?" Jura spoke, glancing towards Asuna. "We would likely work best if paired with experts in wielding weapons currently. Only the select few requip wizards here are already competent with attacking in such a manner."

"So you have some that don't need training?" Jura nodded, while Asuna smiled and nodded. "Then I think those wizards should make up our scouting team. They'll be in charge of exploring and collecting any resources Lisbeth will need to craft weapons for others. Lisbeth, can you create a list describing the materials you'd need for basic weapons and armor that they should look for?" The crafter nodded, while Asuna returned her focus to Jura. "And this is not only going to be done for wizards. Anyone, merchants, crafters, or independents are welcome to join in. We'll set up and devote an area of town to be our training grounds. Anyone who wants to train is willing to come." She thought about it for a moment, frowning. "I'll arrange a schedule so we can have times posted of when treasure hunters are available to train in certain weapon specializations. I don't think a single one of us can use every weapon, so we'd likely be better off pairing trainers with people looking for a specific skillset."

"If you need help with training, I'd be more than happy to help someone learn a bit of archery or shooting while we're at it." Sinon spoke calmly, nodding towards her.

"That would be great. Just let me know when you're available and I'll begin making a schedule." Looking around, Asuna took a deep breath. Her heart felt heavy, uncertain of what to do about Kirito. However, they would keep moving forward, no matter what that idiot was up to. One day, he'd learn to rely on others and stop being so reckless, she hoped. "Is there anything else we need in place to prepare for Laughing Coffin's next move?"

No one spoke, sharing looks while Asuna nodded and turned around. "Then I guess it is time we begin moving forward. As our designated messenger…Wendy, would you or someone in Alfheim be willing to make the announcement of the changes we are working towards?" The young girl looked startled, blinking in surprise. Then, she slowly smiled, nodding eagerly.

"Of course! I'd be happy to do it…though I don't know if people will take me seriously…"

"You are a member of the council." Agil spoke calmly, smiling towards her. "That alone entitles you to their respect. They will listen, as we have plenty of people here who are still so desperate to know what we will be doing to move forward. Any news you have to give them comes with our backing, so be assured that they will listen to your words, Wendy."

They had everything being put into place. For the first time since they got trapped here, Asuna felt like they were moving forward in some way. Yet, were they? As people began to leave to work on their assigned tasks, she couldn't help but feel like this was simply more adjusting to living here. It would not bring them any closer to getting out, but it still brought an odd comfort to know they would be getting strong enough to move forward.

 **Please review and tell me what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or SAO

Kirito couldn't quite believe what he'd just said to Asuna. It had been a few days since he left town, and Zeref had continued leading him around the castle calmly and hardly speaking once again. Yet, Kirito was busy falling apart. He had just killed someone. He didn't know their name, yet their face continuously flashed in his mind. Why had he not held back? He could have just stopped them by knocking them out, just like he did with the archers attacking Zeref and him before. Yet, he had been angry. He had let that anger take control, and this was the result.

Somehow, Zeref seemed oddly unaffected. Other than being rather quiet, nothing had changed. However, on their fourth day of traveling when they finally reached the edge of the forest, Zeref simply stopped walking. Kirito stopped with him, glancing towards the man with a slight frown. Had he really abandoned his friends for this? He didn't know if it was the right choice, but someone had to try and show Zeref that life could still be enjoyed.

Turning towards him, Zeref sighed and shook his head. "It is still weighing on you, isn't it?" Kirito blinked, surprised that this was the first topic he chose to bring up after an entire day of silence. The last time he had spoken it was just to ask if he wanted to stop and rest, and the times before that it had been about if he needed food or water. Weirdly, he had chosen to avoid conversation about any important topic, but now he was bringing this up.

Looking away, Kirito frowned and sighed. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not you. Killing people actually bothers me…the thought of it alone does, and now that I've actually taken a life…" He looked down at his hands, feeling the tremors shaking through them. He closed them into fists, trying to stop the shaking but it didn't seem to do any good.

"As I stated before, that is not an accurate assessment of my own reaction. It is not that I no longer feel guilt…no, it is simply that I've grown used to the feeling." Zeref sighed, looking off towards the distance. It seemed to be a single dirt path, cutting through an open field. Yellow flowers seemed to sprout in an almost uniform pattern throughout the grass, rustling as the breeze blew them around. "The first time that I killed, it was far worse than what you have just done. There had been no reason for their deaths, and it did not save another when they were taken away. No…it simply came to be that everyone around me was dead, and I was unable to stop it."

Horror filled him, making him forget the weight on his chest for a brief moment. Glancing at Zeref, he saw an oddly distant look in his dark eyes. "Perhaps that is inaccurate, now that I consider what caused it. Yet, despite my desires…was it truly worth it? I've asked myself this question for so long. Most of the time, I can't provide myself with an answer. Was achieving my goals worth all that was lost in return? Was seeing him smile once more…truly worth such a vast amount of life? I wish to say yes, but then what type of a man does that make me? Truly, I am a selfish being, if I think it is worth such an existence to accept their loss."

Now, Kirito was lost. What had caused this in the first place? It sounded like this was the source of so much of his reasons for wanting to die. Whatever this event was, it caused him so much strife and pushed him into this hole. Was Kirito following him? For a moment, he closed his eyes, feeling his own guilt over the death he caused. As much as it pained him, Kirito could not say he wanted to escape it that badly. He wouldn't kill himself over this. No, he would keep pushing forward and strive to do better. He'd master that rage, so he could use it to stay strong by not kill next time it came.

Blinking, Kirito glanced at Zeref. That was why he spoke about this, wasn't it? He knew how Kirito would react. "You…how did you know that would help?"

Zeref smiled faintly, looking towards him. "Because I can see you constantly comparing yourself to others, despite your preference of isolation. You strive to be stronger than those around you…and to be the one capable of guiding others in life. By hearing that there are far worse fates than that which you've just endured, it calms you and allows you to realize there is still a future lying ahead of you. This world will require you to grow used to that guilt, Kirito. You will need to become similar to me in that regard…but you can rest assured that it is not truly people that you will need to kill, but rather my own demonic creations."

"Yeah? And what part of reality are they supposed to represent?" Kirito scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. That was the one piece of his recreated world that didn't make sense to him.

Zeref looked distant for a moment, quiet as he frowned and gazed off in the distance yet again. "Despair. The knowledge that escape is possible brings about hope…but the challenge that lies before them brings about the despair that contradicts that hope."

A shudder went through him at that. Something sounded dark about the way he spoke of that despair, yet Kirito didn't know if it was by choice or not. "You know…you do that a lot, don't you? Contradict yourself…and try and force opposites to exist in one place."

"Because that is what the truth of the world is. Everything, at its core, is nothing but contradiction. Life exists only to die…love and hate exist side by side…and the greatest gift of all is often the greatest burden everyone will ever know."

What gift? Kirito frowned, before blinking as he realized he was speaking about living in general. "That…you're wrong. Why would anyone hate the one they love? And sure, life can get hard sometimes, but it isn't like we want to just abandon it as a result."

"So you are telling me that I am the only individual to ever desire an escape from life?" Zeref watched him, and Kirito slowly looked away. He knew other people felt that way. He couldn't deny it. "And as for love and hate…I knew someone once, who must have felt that way about me. For she offered to stay by my side for eternity…yet I did not suffer her fate with her."

Sighing, Kirito shook his head. "You know…one of these days you're gonna have to stop taking in these riddles. I know I'm not able to talk you out of some of these things, but half of the time, I can't understand a thing you are talking about."

The black wizard seemed to pause, tilting his head for a moment. Then, he smiled faintly and glanced towards him. "Perhaps I will. It is usual, for friends to speak to each other of their past, is it not?" What kind of a question was that? Kirito smiled, fighting back the urge to laugh at his weird question.

"Yeah…but that wasn't exactly my reasoning."

Shrugging, Zeref began walking forward once more. "Regardless, I do believe it may help shed light on why I believe things as I do. Though…I will ask you for something in return, Kirito." The swordsman blinked at him, raising his eyebrows. Zeref knelt down on the ground, finding two fallen branches from one of the nearby trees. They were medium length, and Zeref tossed one towards Kirito with ease. "Once I am finished speaking of my past, you will train with me. Perhaps you are already skilled, but you have practiced with preserving life in mind. I wish for you to fight and be willing to kill, for only if you master such a relentless style will you be capable of defeating any of the demons I've placed as guards for the higher floors."

Glancing down at the stick in his hand, Kirito hesitated. He still felt that lingering guilt, but it wasn't like killing a demon was the same thing. He wouldn't have to use this style against anything other than them, right? So, Kirito took a deep breath and stood by Zeref's side. Kneeling down, he found yet another stick, holding it in his other hand with a smile. "You've got it. But I'm gonna need a second stick if we're just practicing with fake swords for now. When you aren't around to steal my second sword from me, I'm actually often dual wielding when I fight."

The black wizard nodded with a faint smile. "Then we have a deal, Kirito. Now…would you mind joining me in a walk towards the next town as we speak? There should be an actual sparring grounds set up within, with targets and training dummies already established. I had believed people would explore before beginning to further their abilities, but perhaps I was wrong in that assumption."

Nodding, Kirito began to follow after him. "I suppose I should start with the beginning, then. Are you aware of the war with dragons that was going on four hundred years ago?" Kirito nodded again. Most people heard about it, and he had gone to plenty of ruins that were destroyed around that time period. "My entire family was killed in that war, when I was only six years old. Natsu had been four…my brother, who had no reason to die when he had yet to begin even living. I vowed to change that…to find a way to give him another chance since his life was so cruelly stolen away from him."

Kirito could remember the pink haired dragon slayer in town. Yet, it couldn't be the same Natsu, right? Resurrection spells weren't possible. People had given up on them so long ago that it wasn't even talked about anymore. Sure, he had found some ancient spell books and journals talking about the fears that came from such spells, but it wasn't the same. "A few years later, I succeeded in perfecting the spell that would do so…but it came with a cost I did not expect. A curse." He glanced towards Kirito, his smile now gone. "Ankhseram's Curse, more commonly known as the Curse of Contradictions…the more one values life, the more one is forced to take it away. There is no escaping it, for not only does it grant this uncontrollable death magic, but also immortality."

"You…so when you killed for the first time…"

Zeref nodded. "It was the curse. With time, I learned of…different ways to think about life. Different ways that granted varying degrees of control…but never completely forgetting. No…I fear what I would do, should I completely let go of valuing the life around me."

"I'm fairly certain anyone would…regardless of if they were cursed or not." Kirito watched Zeref nod at that, not agreeing or disagreeing. Kirito couldn't even imagine forgetting something like that. Yet, it oddly made sense. It was why Zeref did not even flinch when he killed others. After all, he was used to killing everything around him. Adding one more life to the death count he had was almost nothing in comparison to what he had already done.

"There…there is more, to my past. You are welcome to ask further about it…however, that is where the majority of my mindset stems from. A curse which has dictated my life for centuries…preventing my own death, and causing so many more around me. Do you still believe it is best for that curse to continue existing in this world? For if I live, I assure you, the day will come when I forget. Then, there will be nothing left for my anger will consume me…for only through embracing that anger would I even be capable of forgetting such a vital ideal ingrained into every living being that exists."

They seemed to have arrived in the next town, and Zeref had stopped to turn and speak with him. He seemed to be pained, his gaze dark and distant as he briefly skimmed over the past he did not mention. As curious as Kirito was to know what he skipped over, he could see that whatever he left out pained him nearly as much as gaining the curse did. So, he smiled gently and nodded. "Of course it is. After all, I've come across quite a few treasures in my time. One of these days, I just might come across one that could help you, don't you think?"

For a moment, Zeref simply stared at him. Then, he slowly smiled, shaking his head. "Such an optimistic view of the world. I suppose even knowing of my past, you can not be convinced to drop such foolish notions."

"Not at all. A life is still a life, no matter what you've done in your past. If I can find a way to save you, then I promise you, I will." Kirito saw Zeref still looking sad. He had no hope for that future, Kirito realized. "But, to start, I guess I've got to hold up my end of this deal, right? So, do you know where these training grounds you mentioned are set up?" Zeref nodded, slowly turning around and moving into the streets of the town. Kirito followed behind him, smiling and feeling more confident in his decision than he was before. Now, he knew exactly what he was dealing with when trying to fight against Zeref's desire to end his life. All he had to do was find a way to end a four hundred year old curse and he would give up on it. It would be easy, right? Sighing, Kirito shook his head. He really did tend to get himself into the biggest messes on his own, just like Asuna continuously reminded him of. Yet, it was problems like this that meant something when they were solved. So, he was going to make a difference, no matter how unnoticeable it went, and save this depressed wizard from his own grief no matter what it took.

 **Please review and tell me what you think!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Sword Art Online or Fairy Tail

With training moving forward for the wizards lacking in skills, things were going well in the Town of Beginnings. However, that was not where Erza was currently. After Jura returned from the emergency council meeting, she had heard Wendy's announcement in town. The young girl had seemed so nervous, describing their plans to prepare for what was essentially going to become a war against Laughing Coffin. She spoke of hunting for food, creating scouting parties for other resources, as well as building up an arsenal and beginning training. All of which was an excellent plan, in Erza's opinion. So, when Jura came to her and asked for her to lead the scouting teams, she was more than happy to oblige.

It did not take long for Erza to discover just how much space they had to cover in their search. After realizing that the nearby wildlife held no threats to them, she declared they would split up to cover more grounds in their search. Each requip wizard had their own copy of the items to search for. Most of the list seemed to describe the color and shape of rocks to search for, or if she was lucky, it described the finalized metal that would have been molded from such materials. Overall, Erza was feeling rather confident in finding something out in the vastness of this place. She just wasn't certain what it would be.

Most of the others likely returned to town on occasion to update Asuna on their status. Erza, however, did not. She was determined to stay out here for the amount of time that was necessary to find what they needed. The forested area she had claimed as her own direction to explore did not seem to contain such materials. Within, she had discovered that there actually were dangerous animals in this place. She had run across a few wolves on her first day here, which attacked her on sight. She had dealt with them quite easily, but it taught her to be wary. She did not know what form of pattern these attacks would take, considering some animals were benign and others were not. So, she simply avoided them when possible, and strategized attacks when she could not do so.

She had been exploring for a little over a week when she made it to the other side of the forest. Within, she had found plenty of wood, plants, and animals, but none of the minerals needed to melt down and create metal for the crafters. Erza had taken it upon herself to gather some of the wood, since it was a material they would likely desire for fires at some point in time, but other than that there was nothing of use. However, the field before her seemed to have the same lack of necessary materials as well, making her frown.

With the path cutting through, Erza decided it would be best to keep moving forward. It did not look like the field ended quickly on either side, meaning it would take time to try and find a cavernous region somewhere that might contain what she needed nearby. So, she hoped the path led to such a location instead. However, it did not take her long to be proven wrong. Instead, she blinked in surprise as she found herself gazing into the streets of what looked like a town, abandoned with empty homes much like the Town of Beginnings had been when they first arrived.

Walking into the streets, Erza glanced around with curiosity. At first, it looked like the entrance was lined with residential homes. To be specific, they almost looked reminiscent of the apartment buildings near where Lucy lived. They had a few stories in height, with windows facing the street. If it had a canal, it would have been a complete match, however instead, the other side of the street was simply lined with identical apartment buildings. It almost had perfect symmetry in that regard, with each building being reflected across the street to face each other.

As expected considering the layout, when Erza came across the first street to turn down, it cut between the houses on both sides. She could go left or right, so she simply decided to take one path and remember about the other later. This road seemed to curve slightly, rather than traveling straight. Houses grew more scattered, before disappearing entirely and simply lining the sidewalks with what looked like empty stands where store owners would normally sell fruits and odd trinkets. However, they were currently empty without any merchants to take control of them.

When the stands began to lessen in existence, Erza found herself at another crossroads. Instead of turning, this time she continued traveling straight. It was taking her uphill now, and the buildings looked more like offices than anything else. They were plain now, as if trying to avoid standing out amongst the other colorful homes she had seen thus far.

The odd emptiness gave the town an odd feel, Erza had to admit, but she was content to continue walking. Eventually, the curved street brought her to a stop as she found the first intersection that did not cut through on both sides. She could turn left, if she chose, or continue straight. Glancing down the street to turn down, Erza frowned. She thought she heard something coming from that direction for a moment. Yet, it felt like she had to be wrong. Was this where Laughing Coffin was establishing their base? It would be useful to know.

Quietly unsheathing her sword, Erza began moving cautiously down the other street. She held her blade steady, staying close to the sides in case she needed to take cover behind one of the buildings. However, as she moved further, the noise grew louder. It sounded like an odd smacking sound, and eventually she was close enough to hear grunts along with the noises. "Come on, that's like the tenth time in a row! Can we at least take a break to eat or something?" A voice began to lodge an odd complaint, making Erza frown. She felt like she had heard it before, but did she know him or not?

"And I've informed you that we will stop once you've at least managed to strike me once. You still lack the ruthlessness necessary in your attacks." That voice she could place. Erza stiffened, hearing the creator speaking so calmly towards another. She stopped walking, gazing into what appeared to be a meeting of two streets. The area itself was a massive cleared out circular area, no longer stone in foundation but dirt instead. In the distance, Erza thought she saw targets set up, but her focus remained on the two men facing off in the center with wooden branches serving as blades.

The one that had complained seemed to have been resting on the ground. With a sigh, he sat back up, rising to his feet and readying his two branches again. He had an odd style of fighting, she noted. Few could dual wield in a way that did not hinder their fighting ability. So, when the battle began, she was almost certain it would make him falter at some point. The creator slashed down with his branch, aggressively targeting the other boy. Yet, the dual wielder spun around with ease to dodge the first attack, jumping to the side. Countering quickly, he lashed out with his left blade, seeming to favor that one for offense at first. Then, when his opponent blocked it with a swift motion of his own branch, the dual wielder brought in his second weapon for an attack. However, his aim was directed at his opponent's shoulder, making Erza see what his trainer had been speaking of. With a simple bending of his waist, the creator dodged the stabbing motion of the branch, quickly shoving against the boy with his hands to force his attacker back.

"Aim for the heart. It is more difficult to dodge such an attack." He spoke calmly, before lashing out himself and doing just that. His pupil raised both of his blades to block it, but the creator did not seem to fight fairly. As the other boy blocked, he kicked out with his foot, hitting the boy's knee and making him stumble back. The dual wielder held out a hand in surrender, breathing heavily and shaking his head.

"Damn it! Why the hell are you even so good at this? I've been a treasure hunter for almost my entire life, and even I can't seem to best you."

"And I am at least four hundred years old, and the emperor of a militaristic nation, personally training each and every one of my military in battle. Simply put, my experience surpasses your own."

That made Erza stare at him with wide eyes. She must have misheard his statement. Surely, it was impossible for him to be so old. Yet, the other boy didn't argue against it. "Yeah…it is hard to keep that in mind when you look like you're the same age as me."

The creator frowned for a moment, studying his opponent for a moment. "Perhaps close to the same. You…you appear to be sixteen, correct?" The dual wielder nodded, while the creator smiled. "Then I am physically a year older than you. I was seventeen when I gained this curse."

"Seventeen…only seventeen and you managed to figure out the key to an impossible spell that no one today even thinks is possible?" The other boy sighed, shaking his head. "Every time I think you've managed to stop shocking me, you come up with something like that that just brings it all back. I mean…sometimes, I can hardly imagine that you're actually Zeref with how—"

"Zeref?" Erza couldn't stay silent anymore. Her words interrupted the boy, making him glance over with wide eyes. The creator turned towards her as well, looking calm as he steadily met her gaze. "That…we've been trapped in this place by the legendary black wizard? It can't be…he can't possibly be that wizard."

"Oops." The swordsman rose to his feet, glancing at her and then back towards Zeref. "I, uh, didn't realize you were here. So, which group are you with anyway?" He dropped his sticks, looking almost wary as his gaze flickered towards Erza's drawn sword. "Because if you want to try attacking us again, my friend isn't against killing you know. Laughing Coffin isn't going to stop us that easily."

"She is not with them." Zeref spoke calmly, still keeping his eyes on her. "Her reaction is different from what would be expected of that guild. No, she holds the same fear in her eyes as the typical wizard that has heard of my legacy…and then there is the guild mark on her armor that even further proves her allegiance lies with Fairy Tail, not them."

Studying her for a moment, the swordsman blinked and slowly began to smile. "Huh, I guess I missed that." He held out a hand towards her, smiling pleasantly. "I don't think I met you before we came here, or at least I don't really remember you that much. I'm Kirito."

Taking his hand, Erza shook it while watching Zeref closely. "Erza. Now, what business do you have with Zeref? Surely…surely you are not working with the creator?"

"Ah…yeah, I guess I kinda am." Kirito rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously. "See, he's not quite as bad as everyone seems to think he is. Really, if you just stop and listen to what he has to say, you'll realize that this whole thing is just blown out of proportion."

In a way, Erza could understand that logic. Any job came with risks, which is something her team knew when accepting this job. Yet, despite the warnings of the dangers, none of them imagined it was real. "Then what purpose does trapping us here serve? Taking us away from our families, the people who care for us outside these walls…why would you go to such lengths for what you claim to be nothing more than peace?"

"Because it would be quite lonely to exist in this place by myself. Wouldn't you agree?" Zeref watched her, making Erza almost feel the weight of his dark eyes. Being alone in a place like this wasn't something she could imagine. She had never truly been alone, not even when growing up in the Tower of Heaven. Always, she had relied on those around her.

Gazing at him, she stood tensely and narrowed her eyes. "Yet you did not have to live here at all. Reality may be harsh at times, but it is the world we belong in. This false place, filled with a false visage of reality…it is not the same, because we are lacking the comfort of having all of our family within. You cannot possibly think others will not fight to leave, given such an obvious flaw in the world you chose to create."

"But the world you claim I belong in does nothing but reject me." Zeref stared at her, and with his words, an odd horror filled her at the thought. What kind of life did the black wizard truly have? She feared him, knew of his creations and despised his legacy for them. She held back because she knew of the dangers of fighting him, yet wasn't her reaction common amongst the population of the world? "How can I belong in a place that continuously fights to drive me away, shoving me into a despair that no one can possibly comprehend?"

Taking a step back, Erza slowly lowered her gaze. She was being a fool, assuming who this man was based on rumors alone. He sounded like he was suffering, and he likely was. Yet, it was his legacy that led to the tower. His legacy led to her own forced servitude for so long. His legacy led to Jellal's fall. How could she do anything other than hate him? Still, it was wrong of her to judge him. "I…I see. My apologies, I believe I may have judged you too soon."

The man simply nodded, looking towards the ground. "That is often the case these days. It is rather expected at this point, from those that learn of who I truly am."

"Anyway…does this mean we're stopping? Because if we're going to be talking to Erza for a bit, I'd rather do it while getting something to eat."

Kirito looked hopeful, but Erza frowned. "Oh no, do not stop on my account. It is clear to me that you need much work on your skills in swordplay. After all, Zeref has set forth a reasonable goal to obtain from what I've overheard. I'd much like to observe your attempts to surpass him."

"Wait, what?" Kirito blinked at her, looking surprised. However, Zeref chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"As you've just heard, we are welcome to resume. Though…if you would be so kind as to put away your blade, Erza, I would appreciate it." Nodding, Erza sheathed her sword, taking a seat on the ground at the edge of the sparring area. Zeref picked his stick back up, while Kirito did the same with his.

"If you ask me, he has actually chosen a far too lenient goal for you. If I were your trainer, such a simplistic goal would be avoided. No, you would have needed to accomplish a full-on defeat of me before we stopped, even if it meant sparring throughout the night and on until the morning."

Looking at her, Kirito swallowed and focused back on Zeref. "Uh…I think that's a bit extreme, don't you?"

"Perhaps, but those words come from one who clearly knows how to push others to strive for excellence." Zeref smiled, raising his branch with ease. "Are you ready to try again?" Sighing, Kirito seemed to hold his branches out in preparation for another spar. Erza watched, studying them closely. Yet, her mind was lost in thought. Was this truly the black wizard of legend that had trapped them here? He seemed to have an oddly kind heart for what history made him out to be. As he sparred and trained with Kirito, the swordsman began to take on an oddly determined expression the next time they battled. With that determination fueling him, he seemed to improve immensely without any prompting. Still, it took many defeats to bring that emotion out from him. However, Zeref was the one trying to push him to learn how to utilize it. Zeref was training him in swordplay, despite history only knowing him for magic. How much did anyone truly know about this wizard in the first place? Maybe it wasn't the goal of her scouting mission, but for now, she would take this time to learn whatever she could about the creator. Maybe it would help them to understand the purpose of this entire mission, because otherwise, how would anyone even know what to fight for as they continued trying to move forward?

 **I can't remember ever taking a chance to work with Erza and Zeref before, at least not with them working together. It is interesting to try and think of how she'd react to meeting him, so this is going to be a bit different than the characters I'm used to using. Either way, feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Sword Art Online or Fairy Tail

There was an odd peacefulness in the empty town Erza now seemed to reside within. It was just the three of them, and nearly a week had passed since she first arrived. Little was spoken to her from Zeref, but Kirito seemed friendly enough. Oddly, they spent nearly their entire time sparring in the center of town. After exploring further, she realized the basic set up of town as well. Overall, its layout was that of a circle, with two streets cutting through the center in the shape of a cross or possibly an X, leading to the central training grounds. Unlike the first town, the supplies she found here were for weapons. There were the minerals described on her list needed for crafting, as well as a few basic blades already constructed for use. She made sure to pack those away for her return trip, yet she oddly could not bring herself to leave.

Currently, she was watching them spar again. It had been a while since she tested herself, and when watching them, she often wondered if they would allow her to join. Kirito had improved at a much faster rate than expected. His aggression came out more easily, and he did not hesitate to make the more dire attacks he used to avoid. What Zeref gained from all this was still as much of a mystery as the castle, but it was still a place to begin understanding him. After stopping their current dual due to exhaustion rather than an actual loss, Kirito smiled over at her and waved.

"Hey, you look like you're getting pretty bored over there." He walked over, sheathing his sword for a moment and drinking some water he had stored away in a canteen in his bag. "I figured you would've left back for the Town of Beginnings by now."

She should have. "There is no rush. Currently, we are unaware of Laughing Coffin's true plans, and these materials are not necessary to begin the training they need to work on."

"Maybe, but if they're training, shouldn't they be looking for an actual training area? Seems like you guys could save a bunch of time by just heading here instead." Kirito stared at her, while Erza scowled in front of her. Zeref was watching them calmly, not speaking and still sending shivers through her with his dark gaze.

"And what of you two? Should they arrive, I am certain they will not be so lenient against Zeref's presence. As it stands, even I am uncertain as to what to do about encountering him here."

That made Zeref sigh, shaking his head. "Little can be done. Either you will reveal my presence to the others and they will choose to locate me again…or you will not do so, and things will remain unchanged. The question you really should ask is if you are content with the path you are currently taking. Do you wish for it to be different?"

She did not know. People were adjusting to life here. They were not moving forward in getting out, only in learning how to survive. Surely, the guild masters and magic council knew of the dangers with this job now. Likely, there was a new job in its place, with an S-Class label for any who took it. She did not know if it would be to destroy the castle or infiltrate it, but either way, there was something going on in the outside world relating to this mass disappearance of wizards and non-wizards alike.

How many still focused on escaping? It was true that few truly enjoyed life here at the moment. Yet, she had seen the mood change in town. Over the last few months, people had grown more relaxed. The outbursts of people insisting on randomly charging through the castle to locate Kayaba had faded away. Hardly anyone even mentioned him anymore. No, the focus these days was on their lack of supplies or on ensuring that the wizards had the skills necessary to survive. It was on living, not on escaping. Was that how they should approach this trap? Should they truly just become content to spend the rest of their existence in this castle?

Looking towards Zeref, she realized how long she had been silent for. Just thinking at the moment was not bringing her an answer, so she rose to her feet. "I suppose that would depend on how things would change. Something must, for if we stay our current course, we will slowly fall into the trap of believing this is our real life…the only existence we can maintain."

"And would that be so terrible?" Zeref startled her, smiling darkly as he moved closer. "This world is not what you know…but it is a place that can bring you comfort. You came in teams…perhaps it is not all of your comrades, but you cannot claim to be alone under that premise. And as of magic…well, such a gift brings about more harm than good. How many of your missions as a wizard put your life at risk? How many times were you in battle, simply because you possessed magic? Perhaps people think it as a useful tool…but it is a foul curse, living with magic forcing you to do as society asks of you. Wizards cannot do anything other than join a guild. There is no other career path available…and you are forced to do work that risks your life for unreasonably low pay."

"Yet I cannot recall your name ever being listed as a legal wizard." Erza narrowed her eyes at him.

He continued smiling, folding his hands behind his back. "Perhaps. Yet, I do know much about legal guilds. After all…I was in charge of overseeing over 730 guilds not long ago. I know the inner workings of such businesses…and I know the less than favorable conditions given to guild wizards. Do not think you can claim you enjoy everything about such a power, for I know it to be a lie."

"But that does not mean we are not willing to shoulder that burden! People need our strength, they rely on it, so they can enjoy their lives. Yes, it is risky, but—"

"And what of enjoying your own life?" Erza broke off, uncertain of how to answer. "You are a slave to society, whether you admit it or not. Here, you are a slave to none. All of you came as equals…no laws set forth, no government established. It was your own decisions to control everything in this world. I wished to aid in that endeavor…but it was quite clear how my voice would be interpreted. So, I left you to your own work. Now…now I am wondering if I should have remained. People do foolish things when they cannot realize that they were never free to begin with…"

"Uh, guys?" Kirito moved towards them, biting his lower lip nervously. "You know…you can just agree to disagree at this point. We don't need to start an actual fight in the middle of town, do we?"

Looking into Zeref's eyes, Erza smiled faintly. Kneeling down, she picked up one of the discarded branches and held it tightly. "Perhaps it would help in letting off some of my frustrations. Would either of you care to take me on?" Zeref watched her for a moment, frowning. However, before he could reply, Kirito moved forward and grabbed one of the free branches, rising to face her.

"No way am I letting you try and beat him up for claiming you hate your job. I'll take you on, Erza." He grinned, holding his branch as if ready for a fight. Erza did the same, grasping the base with two hands. However, the weight was not quite right to treat it as a two-handed blade, so she quickly opted to release one of her hands from the stick. With a battle cry, Kirito launched himself forward, fiercely striking out with the single branch he was wielding. Erza blocked it with ease, the bang of wood against wood filling the sparring arena.

Zeref stepped back, watching with a frown as Erza began to go offensive. She lashed out towards Kirito's left side, only for the boy to jump out of her range. He quickly ran back towards her, stabbing for her leg to likely try and slow her movements. However, Erza sidestepped his blow, swinging her own branch in the process. His eyes widened, seeing the motion and quickly trying to lean back to avoid it. However, Erza's reach was longer than he expected, still allowing the top edge of her branch to strike his shoulder. He grunted from the hit, quickly moving to strike back in return. His lowered blade swung upward in an arc, banging against Erza's armor as it struck the startled wizard's stomach. Kirito smirked, optimizing his attack and shoving her back with his free hand.

Disengaged, Kirito knelt down and found the third branch on the ground. "You're good. I don't think I can win if I keep holding back like this."

Smiling, Erza chuckled. "It is never wise to underestimate an opponent. Perhaps Zeref is older than I, but he is known as a wizard, not a swordsman. All I've ever battled with are my blades…and I assure you, I have yet to face an opponent I could not defeat."

Smiling, Kirito lunged forward again. One blade lashed out as if to slash across her chest. Erza jumped back to avoid it, seeing his second blade diving in to stab towards her chest as she dodged. Erza batted that one away with her branch, blocking it and holding her ground. On instinct, she almost went to requip into her heaven's wheel armor, but then grimaced as she recalled it was unaccessible in this place.

Instead, she focused on defense. His moves were too quick for her to truly go on the offensive, but if she did not, there would be no hope of winning. With Kirito's furious attacks growing faster every moment, Erza continuously stood her ground and tried to search for an opening. His blades were almost blurs to an outside observer, but having trained in battles of this nature, Erza's adrenaline heightened her senses and kept her observant of it all. He often used one blade to distract and force her into dodging a certain direction, while his other sword was already launching an attack towards where he anticipated she'd be next. It became a taxing battle of reflexes, each of them moving quickly to see who would make the first mistake and end up defeated.

Eventually, Zeref called out and interrupted them. "I think that is enough for now." Kirito paused, looking up. Erza frowned, breathing heavily and glancing towards him. "You seem to remind me of someone, Erza." Zeref frowned at her for a moment, before he sighed and shook his head. "Regardless, there is little purpose in continuing this battle. Overall, it would merely become a test of endurance between the two of you, and that is not quite what I need to instill into Kirito at the moment."

"You spoke to him of becoming more brutal with his attacks before." Erza lowered the branch, narrowing her eyes. "Just what are you training him to accomplish?"

"To move forward." Zeref watched her, his expression rather neutral. "It will require deadly force to unlock the higher floors. Perhaps endurance will play a role, but unless he is willing to kill, it will be rather useless. That is why I am training with him."

"Did you not say it was monstrous creatures blocking such a thing? Surely, there would be no hesitation in killing what looks like an animal."

"Yet not all of them appear that way." Zeref sighed, shaking his head. "They are demons of my own creation, quite capable of taking on a nearly human appearance if they wish to do so."

"And what do you even have to gain from moving forward?"

Zeref was silent, but Kirito smiled at her and nodded. "On each floor, there'll be something new to see…something new to discover. Maybe you aren't all that fond of the idea of living in here…but if you ask me, it's not all that bad." Kirito glanced up at the sky. "The weather is great most of the time, there's these amazing adventures to go on…and I get to make some pretty cool new friends. To be honest, I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one who feels that way either."

Glancing towards Zeref, Erza had a feeling she knew exactly who he was referring to. Yet, there were others. She had seen them in town, the ones that seemed to quickly take to enjoying simple lives. Despite the rigid order at the moment of people calming their stress, she could easily see them settling in and enjoying things here. "And what of the outside world? Is there no one out there you miss, no one that you think would search for us here? Because if I know my guild, I can assure you that they are doing everything in their power to tear down this castle from the outside."

"But they will not succeed." Zeref spoke quietly, before Kirito could reply. His gaze was distant, staring out randomly towards town rather than at either of them. "I suspected such an event to occur. I constructed Aincrad with that in mind…making it more durable than even the R-System had been—"

"R-System…" Erza trailed off, recognizing the name. "Then…you were responsible for that as well?"

He turned towards her, frowning slightly. "Never did I construct that spell…but it was of my own design. It was a rather useless one, with the energy requirement so I quickly moved on to a different project instead." He sighed, shaking his head. "However, that was not my point. This castle is designed to withstand an attack from Etherion itself. Unless your guild wizards are experts at unraveling complex spells of a nature that hasn't been seen in centuries…there will be no one freeing us from the outside."

"And our only option is to kill Kayaba Akihiko to escape from inside here?" The man nodded, while Kirito frowned at her.

"Erza…you don't have to worry so much about—"

"Fairy Tail is my family. I don't expect you to understand." Erza hung her head, closing her eyes. "Perhaps most of our members are inside. Perhaps the few that remain free do not understand the complexities of the spell you've created. However…we always find a way to protect our own. While we fight in here to locate this Kayaba and put an end to this nightmare, they will be trying to come for us."

"But you're missing the point!" Kirito shouted this time, interrupting her and making her blink at him in surprise. "Yes, they will miss you, and you'll miss them. But…can you honestly say it is worth someone's life to get back? Maybe I did kill that dark wizard in town…but I've regretted it every moment since. You have to be willing to take on that guilt…that burden, if you really want to get out of here. It's not an easy thing to deal with, Erza. Can you really say you want that on your shoulders?"

"It is a burden I would gladly bear if it meant my family managed to return home safely."

"And unlike you, I believe she has the resolve to do so." Zeref spoke quietly, meeting her gaze. "Persuade them to escape if you wish. As I stated before, I have no issue with either outcome of this world. Either we coexist and learn to enjoy life in this place without magic…or Kayaba will die and we'll all be free."

For a moment, they all stood in silence. Erza just didn't understand his plans. He claimed this world was a place to gain peace. In a way, she could see it. The atmosphere was fostering such a thing, and it was rather easy once they let go of their differences and began to work together. Yet, if it ended, what form of peace did he gain? She did not understand. Then, as she gazed at him with a frown, she did. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, shaking her head. "No…it can't be. It…it can't be so simple."

Kirito looked at her, and after a moment, he sighed in defeat holding out one hand towards her as if to keep her back. "Yeah…look, can't we just talk about this first? I mean, Zeref isn't all that—"

"He's the one we have to kill to escape." Zeref met her gaze, not denying or acknowledging that to be true. "The only one who ever laid claim to that name…yet he is not truly Kayaba, therefore Kayaba does not exist. This entire time, all we had to do was kill you…but why? Why go to such lengths to simply let others kill you?"

"Because all I've wanted to do in the last four hundred years is die." Zeref met her gaze, oddly calm and expressionless. "As I stated before, I am quite content with either outcome. Kill me if you wish…or allow me this chance to start over and see if I can find a reason to continue on."

Her hand hovered near the hilt of her sword. She wanted to draw it, to attack him where he stood. Yet, her hand shook. Staring into those empty eyes, she found herself uncertain of if she should do so or not. It would be over and they'd be freed, after so many months of chaos and confusion. Yet, at what cost? The man before her was not cruel. Perhaps he trapped them here, and perhaps he had an odd viewpoint on the world, but she could not deny the pieces of truth within. Every wizard was a slave to the system of society outside. She had known plenty of comrades in the guild before who went on jobs and never returned. She had personally seen the dark side of magic while growing up in the Tower of Heaven. Overall, no one understood that better than she did.

Lowering her gaze, Erza clenched her hands into fists and felt her jaw tighten, her teeth clamping down. "Why…why can't I do it?"

Slowly, a faint smile formed on Zeref's face. "Because you value my life. It is strange…the one thing I was never quite able to do, yet now I've encountered two capable of seeing some reason to let me live."

Did she? Looking at the man before her, Erza found herself unable to deny it. The way out was right in front of her, but she couldn't take it because of the path necessary to obtain that goal. Falling to her knees, she hung her head and felt tears burn in her eyes. She had failed everyone, all of her friends. Yet, she couldn't help but feel as if she had succeeded in an odd way as well. A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Kirito's dark eyes gazing down at her. He valued Zeref's existence as well. With the way things were, perhaps it was better to leave things unchanged. Living here might not be so bad, and one day, she'd hold on to the hope that someone outside of this castle could free them without ending the life of the oddly kind black wizard who simply wanted to find a way to live in peace.

 **Okay, this chapter made me glad that I focused on Erza for a change in one of my FT stories about Zeref. I loved writing her inner conflict, though I'm not certain if you guys agree about me doing her character justice here. Either way, feel free to tell me by leaving a review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

Erza returned back to town not long after that conversation. Part of her couldn't help but feel guilt the longer she lingered, seeing the face of the man she knew would be capable of letting them escape. She had even asked directly for another way out, but he revealed that even he was unaware of such a path. So, she settled in and decided that perhaps it was for the best. Bringing back what she had gathered from town, she walked inside and found the streets busy for a change. Wendy, Silica, and Suguha were running about quickly between different buildings, stopping on occasion to speak to people standing outside. They'd been taking lists from one group towards another, likely orders for what weapons to build thus far.

In some of the business-like buildings, she saw lines forming. Wizards were meeting with various merchants to request or find out what form of weapon would be best for them. Others who had already finished seemed to be in the town square, where the fountain still stood. They were sparring with each other, much like Kirito and Zeref had been sparring. Various sized sticks seemed to be designed to accommodate for training with different weapons that they intended to use. She could see Levy out there, using two short sticks almost like daggers against what was likely a treasure hunter, clearly more skilled than her. However, Levy was determined, fighting back with an odd ferocity in her small form.

Nearby, Gajeel seemed to hold a much larger branch, obviously planning for a two-handed sword of some kind. He was sparring with his own trainer, by nearby, it looked like Natsu and Gray were being reckless again. She saw both of them with what looked like the size of sticks selected for single-handed swords, sparring against each other and clearly not seeing the flaw in not having a proper trainer. So, Erza decided to join them for a moment to set them on the right track.

"If you think using training as an excuse to fight each other is a good thing, you're wrong." Erza glared at them, prepared to knock them down if she had do. However, both boys quickly shuddered at her presence, apologizing before moving on to find a proper instructor. Nodding in satisfaction, Erza moved on. Other wizards were there as well, such as Lyon from Lamia Scale and Eve from Blue Pegasus, but it was still only beginning.

Quickly moving towards the crafter's shop, Erza glanced around at the chaos inside. Lisbeth was not the only blacksmith here, but those present were rushing about the shop in chaotic form. Some had taken over the forge, others were working on ensuring that the fire stayed fueled, and more were busy searching for the right materials to keep Lisbeth working on crafting the weapons. Pulling out her bag, Erza smiled and waited for the chance to interrupt.

After a moment, Lisbeth seemed to stop, taking a deep breath and turning around. "Oh, hey Erza!" The pinkette smiled, holding out her hand. "I'm surprised you got back so late. The rest of your scouting team returned almost two weeks ago."

She nodded, setting her bag down on the front counter. "Indeed, there was a minor delay in my travels." She did not wish to elaborate further on that delay, not with what it might push this town to do.

Lisbeth stared at her, before shrugging. "Oh, well that's fine. They didn't find much anyway, which is such a shame. I'm guessing the materials I was hoping to use are only available on the higher floors…but of course, there's no way I'm convincing the council to start heading that direction with the threat Laughing Coffin is presenting at the moment."

Once again, Erza was only reminded of the fact that they were adjusting to life here. She didn't sound angry or upset about it, just a plain fact. "Actually, they did exist. There is a town a few days walk from here that appeared to have a storage of materials similar to the food stores found here." She began pulling things out, placing them on the counter as Lisbeth's eyes widened.

"Wait, what?" She rushed forward, shoving Erza aside and taking over. "I can't believe you found all of this! And weapons too? Please tell me there's more."

Smiling, Erza nodded. "Of course. However…that is where the delay comes into place. While in this other town, I ran into the creator. He seems to have taken up residence there for the time being, though he spoke of moving on as soon as I left."

"That guy, huh?" Lisbeth sighed, shaking her head. "I've gotta say…I should have expected as much. There aren't many places to hide here. Either way, I'm glad you managed to find all of this. It should save me a lot of time having a few weapons already made…and the materials here should cover the rest that need to be finished."

Nodding, Erza hesitated. "Right." She sighed, looking away. "What…after Laughing Coffin is dealt with, just what are the council's plans for us to focus on?"

"Hmm?" Lisbeth frowned, before shrugging. "I can't say. This emergency kinda wiped out all other plans at the moment. We did have a minor discussion about trying to focus on exploring a bit…you know, figuring out all of what is here and stuff. But…that never exactly happened."

"Did they plan on moving to the higher floors? On remaining in a singular group such as this?"

"Well, why wouldn't we? I mean, spreading out is hardly a good thing with everything as chaotic as they already are." She looked away, taking a seat. "It's not like we'd have a way to communicate with others as people left. Pretty much anyone that runs away is on their own…and we'd have no way to keep them under control."

Should she have gotten them out? Lisbeth seemed happy enough when she spoke of such plans. Yet, what was outside of this place for her? "Are there any plans in motion for getting out of this castle?"

"So that's what this is really about." Lisbeth smiled knowingly for a moment, before sighing and staring at her lap. "Honestly? That's kinda the last thing on our minds right now. If we can't survive until we find Kayaba, there's really no point in figuring out who he is. Besides…the longer I'm here, the more it begins to feel almost like…home, I guess. I didn't have much family outside to begin with…at least, none that understood me. Here…here I can find friends who accept me for who I am, and I've got my guild members with me too. If I forget about how I arrived here…I can almost pretend it's like I'm on vacation or something."

"You sound like you'd prefer to remain trapped."

Lisbeth shook her head, closing her eyes. "That's not right. I want to get out…I do, it's just…I don't know." She sighed, resting her head on her knees. "There's this other girl on the council, one you're making me think about you know. She says she'd rather stay in this place forever than find a way out. Kinda makes me wonder how many more are like her…enjoying this place and not seeing any point in leaving." Turning towards Erza, she frowned. "And what about you? Were you asking because you wanted to get out soon? It's almost like you've got a boyfriend you're missing or something." She smirked slightly, taking on a teasing tone.

Blushing, Erza kept her head down and shook her head. "No, it's not like that!" She took a deep breath, calming herself after oddly seeing Jellal's face flash in her mind. "It never was." She had a small smile on her face, vanishing thoughts of him in favor of her guild. "No…it's just…I can't decide, which I'd prefer. There are days when I think this place could be ideal. Most of my guild members are here, and there is an odd peace that never existed in our guild hall. Yet…it is still a cage, one which none of us can escape. Are we truly willing to remain prisoners in some game, simply because this place brings about an interesting adventure?" She sighed, shaking her head. "I cannot say. I know in my heart that I must return to my home, but oddly, I cannot bring myself to say it is worth what must be done to escape."

Lisbeth patted her arm, shaking her head. "You'll figure it out. I mean, the creator did say we have to kill a guy to get out…I don't think there are many people here willing to go that far, no matter how awful things get."

Nodding, Erza gave her a small smile. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps it is best, then, that we remain here."

"Next time if you've got questions, Erza…you should probably ask Jura about them. I don't want the crafters thinking I'm giving favoritism to wizards or anything after all. He is your representative." She smiled, nodding and chuckling faintly. It was true that she should have gone to him, but this was where she had been when the worries came to the front of her mind.

The door opened, revealing a breathless Wendy carrying a list of paper. Erza turned around, seeing her and smiling faintly as she rushed towards them. "Sorry for taking so long! I've got the next list right here." Rising to her feet, Erza moved to stand by her side. Lisbeth took the sheet, thanking her and returning to work rather quickly.

"Wendy…would you like some help?" The girl hung her head, looking exhausted and sighing.

"Yes…but I feel like I'm letting people down somehow…" She stared at her feet, while Erza patted her head gently.

"Do not worry. It is rather tiring to run around town for such a long duration of time. Having assistance will make it easier, and help the time move faster, wouldn't you agree?" The girl smiled, nodding at her as they moved on. Things were moving forward in their own way, and as long as they did that, Erza would be content with her decision. Maybe escape was not the only thing they should focus on, after all. Maybe there were benefits to simply enjoying life here while they could.

 **I feel like my chapters have been getting shorter lately...but on the other side of things, updates for this story are coming faster. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

Erza returned back to town not long after that conversation. Part of her couldn't help but feel guilt the longer she lingered, seeing the face of the man she knew would be capable of letting them escape. She had even asked directly for another way out, but he revealed that even he was unaware of such a path. So, she settled in and decided that perhaps it was for the best. Bringing back what she had gathered from town, she walked inside and found the streets busy for a change. Wendy, Silica, and Suguha were running about quickly between different buildings, stopping on occasion to speak to people standing outside. They'd been taking lists from one group towards another, likely orders for what weapons to build thus far.

In some of the business-like buildings, she saw lines forming. Wizards were meeting with various merchants to request or find out what form of weapon would be best for them. Others who had already finished seemed to be in the town square, where the fountain still stood. They were sparring with each other, much like Kirito and Zeref had been sparring. Various sized sticks seemed to be designed to accommodate for training with different weapons that they intended to use. She could see Levy out there, using two short sticks almost like daggers against what was likely a treasure hunter, clearly more skilled than her. However, Levy was determined, fighting back with an odd ferocity in her small form.

Nearby, Gajeel seemed to hold a much larger branch, obviously planning for a two-handed sword of some kind. He was sparring with his own trainer, by nearby, it looked like Natsu and Gray were being reckless again. She saw both of them with what looked like the size of sticks selected for single-handed swords, sparring against each other and clearly not seeing the flaw in not having a proper trainer. So, Erza decided to join them for a moment to set them on the right track.

"If you think using training as an excuse to fight each other is a good thing, you're wrong." Erza glared at them, prepared to knock them down if she had do. However, both boys quickly shuddered at her presence, apologizing before moving on to find a proper instructor. Nodding in satisfaction, Erza moved on. Other wizards were there as well, such as Lyon from Lamia Scale and Eve from Blue Pegasus, but it was still only beginning.

Quickly moving towards the crafter's shop, Erza glanced around at the chaos inside. Lisbeth was not the only blacksmith here, but those present were rushing about the shop in chaotic form. Some had taken over the forge, others were working on ensuring that the fire stayed fueled, and more were busy searching for the right materials to keep Lisbeth working on crafting the weapons. Pulling out her bag, Erza smiled and waited for the chance to interrupt.

After a moment, Lisbeth seemed to stop, taking a deep breath and turning around. "Oh, hey Erza!" The pinkette smiled, holding out her hand. "I'm surprised you got back so late. The rest of your scouting team returned almost two weeks ago."

She nodded, setting her bag down on the front counter. "Indeed, there was a minor delay in my travels." She did not wish to elaborate further on that delay, not with what it might push this town to do.

Lisbeth stared at her, before shrugging. "Oh, well that's fine. They didn't find much anyway, which is such a shame. I'm guessing the materials I was hoping to use are only available on the higher floors…but of course, there's no way I'm convincing the council to start heading that direction with the threat Laughing Coffin is presenting at the moment."

Once again, Erza was only reminded of the fact that they were adjusting to life here. She didn't sound angry or upset about it, just a plain fact. "Actually, they did exist. There is a town a few days walk from here that appeared to have a storage of materials similar to the food stores found here." She began pulling things out, placing them on the counter as Lisbeth's eyes widened.

"Wait, what?" She rushed forward, shoving Erza aside and taking over. "I can't believe you found all of this! And weapons too? Please tell me there's more."

Smiling, Erza nodded. "Of course. However…that is where the delay comes into place. While in this other town, I ran into the creator. He seems to have taken up residence there for the time being, though he spoke of moving on as soon as I left."

"That guy, huh?" Lisbeth sighed, shaking her head. "I've gotta say…I should have expected as much. There aren't many places to hide here. Either way, I'm glad you managed to find all of this. It should save me a lot of time having a few weapons already made…and the materials here should cover the rest that need to be finished."

Nodding, Erza hesitated. "Right." She sighed, looking away. "What…after Laughing Coffin is dealt with, just what are the council's plans for us to focus on?"

"Hmm?" Lisbeth frowned, before shrugging. "I can't say. This emergency kinda wiped out all other plans at the moment. We did have a minor discussion about trying to focus on exploring a bit…you know, figuring out all of what is here and stuff. But…that never exactly happened."

"Did they plan on moving to the higher floors? On remaining in a singular group such as this?"

"Well, why wouldn't we? I mean, spreading out is hardly a good thing with everything as chaotic as they already are." She looked away, taking a seat. "It's not like we'd have a way to communicate with others as people left. Pretty much anyone that runs away is on their own…and we'd have no way to keep them under control."

Should she have gotten them out? Lisbeth seemed happy enough when she spoke of such plans. Yet, what was outside of this place for her? "Are there any plans in motion for getting out of this castle?"

"So that's what this is really about." Lisbeth smiled knowingly for a moment, before sighing and staring at her lap. "Honestly? That's kinda the last thing on our minds right now. If we can't survive until we find Kayaba, there's really no point in figuring out who he is. Besides…the longer I'm here, the more it begins to feel almost like…home, I guess. I didn't have much family outside to begin with…at least, none that understood me. Here…here I can find friends who accept me for who I am, and I've got my guild members with me too. If I forget about how I arrived here…I can almost pretend it's like I'm on vacation or something."

"You sound like you'd prefer to remain trapped."

Lisbeth shook her head, closing her eyes. "That's not right. I want to get out…I do, it's just…I don't know." She sighed, resting her head on her knees. "There's this other girl on the council, one you're making me think about you know. She says she'd rather stay in this place forever than find a way out. Kinda makes me wonder how many more are like her…enjoying this place and not seeing any point in leaving." Turning towards Erza, she frowned. "And what about you? Were you asking because you wanted to get out soon? It's almost like you've got a boyfriend you're missing or something." She smirked slightly, taking on a teasing tone.

Blushing, Erza kept her head down and shook her head. "No, it's not like that!" She took a deep breath, calming herself after oddly seeing Jellal's face flash in her mind. "It never was." She had a small smile on her face, vanishing thoughts of him in favor of her guild. "No…it's just…I can't decide, which I'd prefer. There are days when I think this place could be ideal. Most of my guild members are here, and there is an odd peace that never existed in our guild hall. Yet…it is still a cage, one which none of us can escape. Are we truly willing to remain prisoners in some game, simply because this place brings about an interesting adventure?" She sighed, shaking her head. "I cannot say. I know in my heart that I must return to my home, but oddly, I cannot bring myself to say it is worth what must be done to escape."

Lisbeth patted her arm, shaking her head. "You'll figure it out. I mean, the creator did say we have to kill a guy to get out…I don't think there are many people here willing to go that far, no matter how awful things get."

Nodding, Erza gave her a small smile. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps it is best, then, that we remain here."

"Next time if you've got questions, Erza…you should probably ask Jura about them. I don't want the crafters thinking I'm giving favoritism to wizards or anything after all. He is your representative." She smiled, nodding and chuckling faintly. It was true that she should have gone to him, but this was where she had been when the worries came to the front of her mind.

The door opened, revealing a breathless Wendy carrying a list of paper. Erza turned around, seeing her and smiling faintly as she rushed towards them. "Sorry for taking so long! I've got the next list right here." Rising to her feet, Erza moved to stand by her side. Lisbeth took the sheet, thanking her and returning to work rather quickly.

"Wendy…would you like some help?" The girl hung her head, looking exhausted and sighing.

"Yes…but I feel like I'm letting people down somehow…" She stared at her feet, while Erza patted her head gently.

"Do not worry. It is rather tiring to run around town for such a long duration of time. Having assistance will make it easier, and help the time move faster, wouldn't you agree?" The girl smiled, nodding at her as they moved on. Things were moving forward in their own way, and as long as they did that, Erza would be content with her decision. Maybe escape was not the only thing they should focus on, after all. Maybe there were benefits to simply enjoying life here while they could. **Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

Chapter 17

More time passed. The tension in town from expecting another attack faded away, and people seemed to begin normal lives within. Merchants claimed the shops in town, setting up and beginning to buy and sell materials discovered by any patrol groups heading out of town. Food remained equally dispersed by the council, but all other resources were often kept by whoever found it or sold to merchants so they could make a profit reselling it to someone who wanted it.

Overall, things were rather peaceful in Aincrad. People seemed to be taking to simply enjoying life inside. Unaware to the inhabitants of the town, the dark guild that threatened them had not attacked due to the angered black wizard hunting them down outside. So, the peace remained and no one seemed inclined to trade that away for the uphill battle that would begin when they chose to escape.

Yet, outside the walls of Aincrad was a different story. In the Fairy Tail guild hall, Makarov stared out at the nearly empty building with distress. Two years had passed since so many teams vanished without a trace after taking the floating castle job. The S-Class job that had been posted as a rescue mission for those within was now upped in difficulty to a year-long quest. Makarov worried over how long it would take. Right now, Fairy Tail was not doing well, much like so many other guilds who lost their strongest members to that cursed job. Those that remained were the ones who favored simpler tasks, and the overall strength of Fiore was giving concern. The royal family was more worried about ensuring they were not attacked with their wizard population so weak, working out discussions with nations like Alvarez to maintain peace.

Life still moved on, that was true enough. Makarov could see that the few wizards remaining were stepping up to fill the void of what was lost. Max seemed to be taking on his fair share of jobs these days, while Warren ended up making an odd team with Reedus to keep themselves afloat. Laki was probably one of the few remaining capable of taking on solo jobs, and one day, Makarov was shocked when even Nab took on a mission of his own. Romeo was starting to join his father's team with Wakaba, and that left only him and Mira as the ones not contributing beyond paperwork.

"Master, nothing is going to change if you keep glaring out at the guild like that." Mira spoke calmly, standing next to him as he sat on the bar counter. Makarov scowled, staring down at his lap. Once again, his children were out of his reach and no one knew what to do about it. Anyone who neared the floating castle couldn't even figure out how to enter, much less determine where those on that job had gone. The rune knights themselves had begun investigating it, and they had come back with no clue as to what it was beyond the most complex magical spell seen in almost all of the history of magic. "No one is coming back. It's been years…and everyone is saying that it is likely that anyone that took that mission is now…that they're all probably…" She broke off, biting her lip.

Makarov knew what the rumors said. Luckily, Mira wasn't going through the suffering of losing her remaining family at least. Elfman was not among those that left, but everyone else was labeled as dead after so much time of being missing. It made it difficult to keep pushing for the search to continue. The only thing that kept it fueled was the sheer number of people that job had taken. From what he had heard, the Magic Council had even gone to one of their own prisoners for a deal to try and determine more about the spell. That endeavor had yet to finish, but he heard that they offered to shorten Jellal's sentence if he could determine anything at all about the spell creating that floating castle.

"Blast that job. They had no right to take those children away from us…and the Council, running their mouths off trying to save face. They should have known something was off about that job before sending it out to us…they should have—" He broke off, clenching his hands into fists and sighing. There was no good to come out of mere complaining, not right now. "I worry for them. Getting them back now…it is not likely to be easy, Mira. But we must not give up…I know someone here must be able to do it one day."

It was what they were all working so hard to accomplish. Every time he saw these wizards going out on a job with that fierce expression, he knew it was for their missing family. Even Nab, with his constant staring at the job board, seemed to be hit hard by the loss. Whenever someone else came from behind, he would almost brace himself as if expected to be shoved aside, as that was what Natsu used to do. Now, his shoulders almost sagged when he wasn't pushed away, showing his own depression over the loss. Max put on a good face, looking eager to go out and fight, but Makarov could see that the forced smile was his only way to stop himself from breaking down into tears from the loss of their friends. He was usually good friends with Jet, and now that man was trapped in some dark spell no one could comprehend.

"There is always Gildarts…when he returns, he could take on the mission. Plus, I don't think Mystogan took the job either…" Mira frowned, while Makarov sighed. They were the only wizards even qualified to take the job now, with it being ranked with such a difficulty. Other guilds were trying to scramble to get stronger so they could send teams out as well, but he knew no one was taking on that job at the moment in their weakened state.

When the doors of the guild opened, Makarov already knew it was going to be Gildarts as well. "Oh look! He's back already. Master, did you want me to ask him about taking that job?"

He couldn't force the man to do it, though. Gildarts was strong, but this was a job that required cunning. Simply destroying the castle would likely only kill anyone of the guild members that still lived on inside of it. "I'll speak with him, Mira. This may not be something even he can handle." The white haired wizard blinked at him, biting her lip and nodding. Gildarts quickly made his way over to the counter, frowning in confusion.

"Hey, old man. What's up with the mood in here?" He glanced around, frowning. "Wait…are the S-Class promotion trials happening soon or something? I can't remember coming back to it being so empty before."

Shaking his head, Makarov closed his eyes. "No. Those trials…have been postponed indefinitely at the moment. What you see here…is all that remains of our guild."

Gildarts froze, his body stiffening as he glanced towards Makarov. "That…don't joke about that."

"I'm not." Makarov sighed, rising to his feet. "Come with me. There's a certain job I'd like you to look over and see if you think you can accomplish it."

"Wait, a job? I just got back, you tell me everyone's gone, and now you want me to go out on another insane mission?" Gildarts glared at him, hardening his gaze. "Sorry, but I don't think I can just sit back and do that for you. I just failed in this last one, so you better have a good reason why I should take another."

"Because this just may be the only job that can save our family…if they are even still alive, that is."

Stopping, Makarov arrived at the top floor, quickly finding the job he was looking for and handing the sheet to Gildarts. "Investigate a floating castle…you are aware that my jobs usually consist of hunting down monsters of some kind, right? My magic isn't suited to subtlety."

Nodding, Makarov looked grave. "I am aware, but there isn't another person here I can ask to do this." He lowered his gaze, speaking quieter towards him. "It happened two years ago. A job came in with a very high reward…asking for as many wizards as possible to go out and investigate this castle. Most of our teams left…and after five months of not hearing from them, we went to check on their progress. No one was there…no one but an empty house, and the very floating castle they were assigned to investigate. Not even the rune knights can determine what created it…nor can we determine how to get inside."

"So Natsu's in there, I take it? I was wondering why I didn't have him challenging me when I walked in the doors." Makarov nodded, while Gildarts sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Damn. All those kids…I can't believe this. Whoever made this job should know better than to mess with so many guilds…but I can't believe they're actually pulling it off either. You want me to go out and find them, right?" Makarov nodded, while Gildarts looked grave. "Then count me in. I don't care if I have to destroy that blasted castle and blow it to bits. I'll stop this bastard who took away our family and bring them home."

"Don't go too overboard, Gildarts." The orange haired man stopped, glancing at Makarov at his warning. "If our family is still alive…they are inside that castle. Destroying it just may end their lives in the process…which is why this job is most certainly not suited to your abilities."

Gildarts paused, glancing at the paper for a bit. He shook his head, sighing for a moment. "More and more problems." He paused for a moment, then he seemed to nod. "I think I might know a guy that can help. I ran into him on my last job…kinda odd, but he knows a lot about magic. I'll see if I can find him again and get him to help."

"Whatever it takes. I do not care if we have to tear this country apart to bring them back, Gildarts. No one takes away my children and gets off so easily." Gildarts nodded, chuckling and shaking his head.

"And here you just were telling me to hold back. You gotta pick one side or the other, old man." He waved with that, walking away. "I'll see you around. Hopefully, next time I come back it will be with our missing members in tow." Makarov watched as he left. There was a weight in his chest, only growing as he watched the man's form fade. Had he just doomed another wizard's life to get trapped in that place? He did not know, but he had no other options. If anyone could free their lost wizards, it would be the most powerful wizard they had in the guild.

 **Gildarts is now starting to work on getting everyone out! I hope you enjoyed this chapter that gave some insight on what was happening outside of Aincrad for a moment. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

After getting back from having his arm ripped off by a dragon, hearing about the missing guild members was the last thing Gildarts wanted to do. Yet, saving them was another matter. It didn't matter how sore he was, or what had happened. He could still remember little Natsu, always following him around and begging him to fight. That kid didn't deserve a dark fate like that. In fact, he had to tell the kid about the dragon he saw. Natsu lived for clues like that, any hint that Igneel might still be around. So, Gildarts planned to find a way to still let him hear about it.

When Makarov described the job, Gildarts already knew it wasn't going to suit him well. Sure, he did know a bit about magic. However, he would never claim to be an expert in it or anything. The job itself almost sounded similar to a curse breaking job, in which he'd have to disassemble some spell to save everyone. Gildarts was more fond of jobs that involved punching and destroying some monster terrorizing a village, much like the hundred year quest he had just taken and failed to finish. As he was sworn to secrecy about the matter, he couldn't even tell Makarov what it was about or why he had failed. Yet, it didn't mean he hadn't met people in the process of trying to complete it.

The job itself had begun in another country. Gildarts had done a lot of traveling for it, to various continents in an attempt to search for the beast he was supposed to kill. In one of them, he had met an odd wizard that lent him a place to stay for a while. He was old, with white hair and a long beard. The man claimed to work for the emperor of that nation, but Gildarts hadn't cared too much about the details at the moment. All he cared about was the fact that when he asked about if anyone had seen odd magic in the area, the man had proceeded to attempt to give him various definitions of what weird magic could be. In the end, it was pointless to question him for the job, but he spoke of magic in a technical sense that he had not heard anyone use before.

Getting to him now would likely be problematic. Sure, he could remember where that old house was. It was outside of a massive palace, in the heart of the Alvarez Empire. The only reason he had even been allowed to stay there was because he had completely collapsed in his exhaustion. He had been traveling for nearly three days without sleep at that point, and it had been that elderly man that found him. What was his name again? Gildarts knew it was something weird. Then, he remembered. August. That had been the man that gave him a place to stay. He was also the only reason he survived the attack from that insane dragon.

Shaking off his memories, Gildarts sighed as he found himself walking through the streets of the foreign empire. Most people could tell on sight that he was a traveler. It got him a lot of attention around here, but he was used to it everywhere he went. He kept to himself, and when he stood in front of the house he had stayed at a few months back, he couldn't help but sigh. There were no lights on, and it looked abandoned. Overall, it was a small place so he supposed he didn't know what he expected.

However, behind him a voice spoke, having seen him staring at the empty building on the street. "Are you looking for August?" It was a calm voice, one which made him turn around with a frown. "Odd. I did not realize he was expecting a visitor." The man had pale blue hair, tied off on one side of his head in a ponytail. Glasses covered light blue eyes, as he stood dressed in a long overcoat with mixing shades of blue.

"He wasn't. I was in the area and thought I'd drop by." Rubbing the back of his head, Gildarts sighed. "Actually…I was hoping he might be willing to do a favor for me again. There's something I wanted to ask him about, if he's available."

"You are in luck. Our emperor is out at the moment, so we actually have far more free time than usual." That sounded weird. Wouldn't they be busier without him around? "His majesty only comes when he has specific tasks in mind for us to work on. Without him around, it is simply our usual duties to attend to to keep things running." Holding out a hand, the man smiled. "I apologize, I believe I am being rude. I am Invel Yura, one of the Shields of Spriggan. It is a pleasure to meet one of August's acquaintances."

Taking his hand, Gildarts nodded and grinned. "And it is nice to meet one of his co-workers as well. I'm Gildarts, a guild wizard from outside the country."

"Oh? And what brings you to Alvarez in search for our aid?"

Looking away, Gildarts frowned. This might not have been the best decision to make after all. From what he could sense, this guy had a lot of magic power in him, despite his calm appearance. "Just difficulty with a job. From what I remember, August seemed to know quite a bit about the more technical side of things when it comes to magic. I'm not all that skilled when it comes to stuff like that."

"Indeed he is. Follow me, then." Invel seemed to lead him away from the streets, towards the palace he had not been allowed inside of before. Inside, the palace began as a massive courtyard. Everything looked like it was well-cared for, with an odd garden that seemed to be filled with rocks and dirt rather than colorful plants. It was decoratively done, giving it an almost desert-like feel in areas, but it was unusual. Stone pathways led to the grand doors of the palace, which quickly opened and let them inside.

Invel walked swiftly, clearly familiar with where to go. Gildarts followed after, trying to match his pace despite the strain it put on his upper chest. That pain still hadn't faded away, and he had been recovering for months now. However, he ignored it and kept moving onward. Invel paused after a while, stopping to knock on a door. "August? It appears as if you have a visitor."

"Come in." The familiar rasp of the elderly man came from within, making Gildarts almost sigh with relief. He was by far more comfortable to be around than Invel, even if he was still odd. When August glanced up and saw Gildarts, he smiled faintly and folded his hands on his desk. "Ah, I did not expect to see him again. You are welcome to leave us, Invel, I will deal with this on my own."

The other wizard nodded, turning around to leave. "August. It looks like you're doing well." The man nodded, gazing towards him with dark eyes.

"And you still seem to be recovering." Gildarts did not ask how he had figured that out, but he couldn't deny it. Leaning his back against the door that was now closed, he nodded and hung his head. "Yet you come here with a determination in your eyes. Something has happened, and you seem to think I am capable of aiding you with it."

"Sounds like you got me all figured out then. Wanna tell me what it is I want help with too?" August did not reply, while Gildarts snorted and shook his head. "Sorry. That wasn't polite, not when I came to ask you for help again."

The elderly man shrugged, working on some more paperwork in front of him as he continued to speak. "It is not the worst I've heard, and it certainly will not be the last insult either. Perhaps I was the one being difficult, presuming to know that which ails you based on something as simple as your facial expression upon walking into my office."

"Don't worry about it." Gildarts met his eyes, pausing for a moment. "I guess what I wanted to ask you about…is for information on a spell that could trap thousands of people at once. Takes on the form of a castle, and oddly, it seems to float as well." He set down the flyer for the job on August's desk, seeing the old man pause to look at it. His dark gaze scanned the flyer, his frown deepening as he read through it.

After a moment, he seemed to set it back down, folding his hands on the desk. "Leave it be. That is the best advice I can offer you in this instance, Gildarts. Much like the dragon you foolishly believed yourself to be capable of stopping…ending this is beyond your abilities."

"Yet you still scared him off." Gildarts leaned forward, watching August avoid his gaze. "I know you did, because if you hadn't, I would be dead right now. Someone had to have scared that monster away after he took my arm. I couldn't see whoever it was because I passed out…but I know exactly where I woke up."

The elderly man closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He shook his head after a moment, before looking up to meet his gaze. "This is not the same."

"No. But I can tell you know how to stop it, because you keep avoiding talking about it." Gildarts smirked, watching the old man close his eyes.

August slowly released a breath, meeting his gaze with narrowed eyes. "Perhaps I do. Yet, I am not in a position to end this. No…the ones who are capable of ending this are the ones I suspect you are attempting to save right now."

It made no sense. How could they end the spell? "So…it has to be unraveled from inside?"

"No." August spoke quietly and looked away. "In the vaguest of terms…I know of the man who created this spell. I did not realize…did not even think he would utilize it, however. He had other plans in mind…" August trailed off, sighing and shaking his head. "Regardless, I will not stand against his plans. If it is his desire for this spell to exist, I will not stop it."

"But it needs to be—"

The door burst open, revealing Invel walking back in. "Sorry to interrupt, but there is an urgent matter for August to deal with." The elderly man looked up, nodding towards him.

"Speak. This man can hear what it is you have to say."

Was he in charge? Gildarts didn't know, but the other man listened and nodded. "Very well. We must summon his majesty back, and you are the only one who remains in contact with him when he is away. Pergrande…they are threatening to declare war if we do not cease growing and empowering our military. They see us as a threat, and are competing to stop us before it grows to great."

"And have you not attempted to assure them that the military is simply for defense of our country?"

Nodding, Invel met his gaze. "I did. They said that we had sufficient power to that end…and that they would utilize all of their force if necessary to at least lessen some of our numbers."

Gildarts was fairly certain he did not belong in this conversation. However, August slowly sighed, lowering his head. "Ask them for time, then. Tell them that his majesty will speak to them when he returns—"

"They are saying that if they do not hear from him within two weeks, then they will assume this country is being led by us, August. With his constant absences, other countries are beginning to realize just how far our influence extends as his advisors."

Rising to his feet, August met Gildarts' gaze. "I see." He sighed, shaking his head. "Then consider yourself lucky, Gildarts." Invel frowned, looking towards him with confusion in his eyes. "His majesty is out of our reach at the moment, but this wizard here has just brought me the information I need to bring him back. Do what you can to stall the war, Invel…no matter what it takes, we cannot risk our numbers now, not when his majesty's plans are yet to be set into motion."

"Plans? What plans?" Gildarts frowned at the elderly man who only shook his head.

"Worry not. After all, his majesty is within the spell you've asked me to stop as well. If I wish to bring him back, I will have to unravel it as you requested."

Oddly, Gildarts had a sinking feeling about this. With the way August had tried to refuse before, he felt like he knew who was responsible for this spell in the first place. No one would take well to learning that the emperor of a massive nation like Alvarez had decided to do something like this. So, for now he would keep that information to himself. After all, it was the least he could do for the man that saved his life and was saving his friends now. August led him quickly to an airship off to the side of the palace, both of them boarding quickly as he took off back for Fiore. He just hoped it wasn't too late to save his friends, because he had no idea what existed inside of that castle they were heading off to destroy.

 **So, the tiny bit of details on Gildarts' job comes from the 100 year quest series that just began for Fairy Tail. The rest is kinda my own little idea on one way Gildarts could have survived being attacked by Acnologia. Either way, I do hope you enjoyed. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

It took Asuna two years to see Kirito again. Two years of wondering where he ran off to and what he was doing. Two years of holding herself together for the sake of the others trapped in this castle. Two years of just thinking she had done something wrong to scare him away. Overall, it was two years too long, and when she finally saw him again, he wasn't looking for what she thought he would be.

Really, his return wasn't dramatic. After all that time, resources and hunting grounds had been thinned, so they had already decided to move on to new towns. They explored the one in the next town over, which would have been perfect for when they were training wizards for battle. Yet, it had little in terms of food. Even further out, there had been another town stocked like a fortress for defense. A few of them picked up some of the armor there considering they had no idea what kind of creatures they'd be facing in the future. Then, they kept moving.

The first floor was much larger than anticipated. Mapping it out took time, and after finding yet another town, Asuna had been wondering if there was another good hunting area like the place near the forest had been. Thus far, they had seen little other than plains. Sure, they could hunt in the forest, but there were so few animals left there to collect for food. The plains hardly seemed inhabited. Asuna believed she saw a rabbit and maybe a few mice within, but nothing large enough to feed a population of their size. So, with that in mind, the council had made the decision to try and locate the entrance to the next floor.

That was what this entire search was about. Yet, there was nothing that made Asuna think of stairs or an entrance leading upward. There wasn't even a sign of some monstrous creature to be killed to unlock the door heading that way. So, she had personally joined the scouting party. Right now, she was working side by side with a few of the Fairy Tail wizards. With a team consisting of Erza, Natsu, and Klein, the four of them had gathered together to prepare for the trip.

"Are we still that clueless on where this monster thing is? I can't believe we've only managed to stick around on one floor for two years now!" Natsu grumbled about the entire thing, glaring as he grabbed some food for the trip. He still seemed to have refused armor, but he now wore a sheath on his hip, carrying a sword that left him prepared to fight when necessary. "I've been waiting for a good challenge that entire time!"

Narrowing her eyes at him, Erza seemed to frown. "Don't be foolish, Natsu. When we first arrived, you could hardly hold a blade, much less fight with one. Reckless decisions in this place could get you killed."

"Yeah, plus you had no idea how to even begin a proper search strategy. If you don't think it through, you'd just be doubling back over the same places all the time, and that'd just waste everyone's time." Kleine spoke, likely from his brief experience treasure hunting. Oddly, it made Asuna smile thinking he had done just that on one of his previous jobs, but she made no comment.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Natsu turned back towards them and shook his head. "So? I would've found it already if I had my usual magic. It's not my fault this place makes everything smell weird!"

"Guys, can we just calm down and focus on what we came here to do?" Asuna shook her head at them, smiling faintly. "Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm watching over a group of children."

"If you ever stopped by the Fairy Tail guild hall, you'd realize this is actually quite normal for us." Erza smiled faintly, nodding towards her. "Now, we are scouting the eastern segment this time, correct? I heard that the last group headed west and found little of interest in the area."

Nodding, Asuna pulled out the makeshift map they had begun to construct. It was crude, drawn in pencil on a sheet of paper and eventually taped to other sheets as it grew too large to fit on just one. One of the merchants had taken it upon themselves to make it, since they didn't exactly have cartographers around to properly construct one. Since they had more experience understanding what they even looked like, Asuna figured it was their best shot at getting a map of an okay quality. "Yep. None of us have any clue what we're looking for, and that's what makes it so much more difficult to find."

"Well, we're looking for a monster, right? So why don't we just kill everything in the area and figure out later if it was the right thing?" Natsu stared at her, while Asuna sighed.

When she looked back up at him, she wondered how she found a boy even more oblivious than Kirito to work with. "If we do that, our already short food supply will be gone completely. We're not starving because you're too impatient to search the right way, Natsu."

"Yeah…I'd rather not starve. See, I've got a bit of this thing with food…I rather like eating it, so I don't exactly want to go without it, okay?" Kleine laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. Then, he focused and leaned forward, touching the empty space on the map. "So, this is the area right? Last I heard, people said they thought they saw some kind of building in the distance over here. It looked something like a tower…which is kinda weird, since it is in the middle of a field."

Nodding, Asuna smiled at him. "It just might be our best—" She broke off, with the door to her home suddenly opening. No one came in here, at least not without knocking first. The others had agreed to meet at her place, but it just wasn't what she was expecting to have happen.

Standing in the doorway was a familiar face that made Asuna freeze. Erza, however, nodded her head and stood tensely as the black haired boy walked inside, quickly followed after by his companion. "Kirito. I did not expect to run into you again." She nodded towards his companion, the one that sent chills down her back to just see again. The creator was here, the man that started this all.

"Hey…ah, it's been a while. What's up, Asuna?" He tried for his usual smile, but Asuna had tears in her eyes. She stomped towards him, smacking him across the cheek in her anger. How dare he just walk back in here like that! How dare he assume that he could just act like he had done nothing!

"You idiot! After all this time…and that's how you greet me? That's all you have to say?" She glared at him, seeing the boy rubbing his cheek with a frown. By his side, the creator seemed to give them some space, silently moving deeper into the room.

Avoiding her gaze, Kirito looked away. "I'm sorry. There's just something I needed to take care of. I'm back now…or at least for a little while. I asked around town, and everyone says you're getting ready to search for the next floor, right?" Asuna nodded, not wanting to listen to him but knowing she had no other choice. "Ze-my friend and I found it a while back. However, it's not the kind of fight that can be taken on alone, so we just kinda let it be at the time."

"This world was designed to foster cooperation with others, after all." The creator spoke quietly, adding in more to his words. Asuna narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And what are you doing here with him? I get that you seem to think you can boss Kirito around, but that doesn't mean you are welcome here either." Asuna moved to turn on him, but Erza held an arm out in front of her, shaking her head.

"Leave him be. Regardless of your anger towards him, he is skilled with a blade and could be of great use to us in this task."

Looking towards her, the dark robed man smiled faintly and nodded. "Odd. Have your opinions of me not altered with time?"

Erza shook her head, leaving Asuna wondering what his question was even about. "When one makes a decision to become friends, it is not to be taken lightly. Do not think that I am going to simply allow you to accomplish your goal with ease. Perhaps living in this place is something I can be content with, but forcing any of us to take away another life to escape is unforgivable."

"Even if it is a life not worth saving?"

"All lives are worth saving." Kirito spoke, but his voice didn't have much passion in it. It was almost as if he was repeating something he had stated so many times that it no longer mattered. "Can you drop the mysterious crap again? I'd rather not get into this again now when we're talking about how to take down this demon we've gotta kill."

"Wait, demon?" Kleine blinked at him, his eyes widening. "No one said anything about the thing we're hunting being a demon!"

"I informed Kirito about a few of the details of this particular linked beast." The creator smiled, taking a seat and leaning his back against one of the walls of her home. It was odd that he did not take any of the available chairs, but she supposed it was already crowded enough with the rest of them in the room. "After all, I was the one who created it, therefore I know quite a bit about what to expect from a battle with it. Now…are you willing to work with me so we can all move forward, or would you prefer to allow everyone to waste away as there are no more creatures on this floor to be slain for food?"

Narrowing her eyes, Asuna slowly sunk down into one of the chairs and glared at him. "Fine. But get this straight, we're only with you until this demon is killed, got it?"

The creator nodded, smiling faintly as if amused with her anger. However, that was when Natsu grinned and spoke up. "You know, this fight is finally starting to sound interesting. If it involves a demon, then I'm getting all fired up."

Everything in the creator seemed to go rigid, his eyes locking on Natsu and widening. Seeing his dark gaze on the other boy, Asuna realized that his eyes were the same color as Natsu's, both a dark black that seemed to swallow you whole. However, while Natsu seemed to fill his gaze with light as his expressions turned playful and happy, Zeref's were filled with darkness and misery that seemed to spread to whoever he looked at in return.

Natsu looked back at him, frowning for a moment. "Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face or something?" Natsu looked around, frowning while Kleine shrugged.

"Nah, you're good. This guy is just being weird." Kleine pointed back towards the creator, who Kirito moved to sit down next to. The swordsman placed a hand on his shoulder, looking worried. That contact seemed to make the other teen jerk away as if on instinct, before he snapped out of his daze.

"Sorry." He took a deep breath, staring at his lap for a moment. "I simply was not expecting to see you here again…Natsu." He spoke softly in an odd way, which made Asuna wonder exactly what kind of a connection he had to this boy. "I'm glad. Perhaps I can change your mind as well…about the things I've done."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Natsu frowned at him. "I mean, you're gonna help us now, right?" The other man nodded, frowning as Natsu grinned. "Then don't worry about it! That stuff happened way in the past and by now, I don't think anyone really cares about how we got here. Life is pretty interesting in this place anyway, and while I do miss gramps back home, I figure I can always head on back later after seeing everything this castle has to offer."

"You…you don't care anymore?" The creator looked stunned, blinking at Natsu who laughed and shrugged.

"Not at all! Well…" He paused, frowning for a moment. "I do still have to find Igneel too…this is kinda cutting into my time for that, but I'll manage. It's not like I can outlive a dragon, after all."

"Wait, a dragon? Since when are you looking for a dragon?" Kleine looked shocked, while Kirito actually looked interested.

"Actually, there shouldn't be any dragons around. No one has seen one in so long…"

"But Igneel is still there!" Natsu looked irritated, glaring at Kirito and daring him to challenge him again.

Smiling, the creator nodded. "Actually, he does still exist…in some form anyway." He sighed, shaking his head. "However, we are getting rather distracted. Do you wish to prepare for this battle, or are you content with simply beginning it as is? I can direct you towards where this demon is, and the strategies that would be most effective for fighting it."

"Strategizing would be the wisest decision." Natsu seemed to open his mouth to object to Erza's comment, but quickly stopped when she shot him a glare. "Despite our improvement over the last few years, my companions are not completely masterful in utilizing weapons or fighting without magic. Any advice you have to offer would be appreciated."

"And you're just going to trust that he's not lying? I mean…he's the one that trapped us here. What does he have to gain from moving up to higher floors?" Kleine looked between them, while the creator sighed and looked away.

"I…there is a place on the next floor I wished to visit." He bit his lip, before closing his eyes. "To put it simply…I did not expect anyone to linger on this floor for long. There is little of interest here, since it was designed to supply everyone with the basic necessities for survival while adjusting to this new world. Next floor…that is where I placed it."

"Placed what?" Natsu frowned at him, leaning forward. "If you're just gonna be vague about everything, it kinda makes it hard to imagine what it is you are looking for."

Meeting his gaze, the creator smiled faintly. "A memoir to one lost long ago. The next floor…is designed entirely based upon the landscape and layout of Tenrou Island." The dragon slayer seemed to stiffen, his eyes widening. Asuna blinked at him, frowning in confusion.

"A memoir to someone lost…so like a grave?" The man nodded, while she looked away. Why would he spend so much time to just recreate something so simple? Whoever he had lost, it must have been someone important. "I guess I can see why you'd want to see it again. But why design it after an entire island? I'm certain there were better things to place in here that you would have enjoyed."

"I have my reasons." He did not seem to be willing to elaborate further, instead focusing on them. "Now, as far as the demon goes…Kirito, let's see if you can recall what I've covered with you first. Explain it to them, and I will elaborate as needed."

Looking towards Asuna, Kirito seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then, he scratched the back of his head, sighing and giving him a nod. "Right. So, the demon…he's basically going to be like a massive vulcan in design. Ape-like body structure, with inhuman physical strength. To attack, he'll have a club to emphasize a focus on his strength in fighting."

"And despite the appearance, this demon will have intelligence." Zeref spoke softly, interrupting while Kirito nodded. "It will learn from your actions, and it will fight with its own strategy in place. Simply put, you cannot expect it to react as the wolves and animals of the wilderness do."

"Layout of the room is tailored to the creature he is. So, there'll be a lot of stuff for him to climb around on…trees, I'd guess." Kirito glanced at Zeref, who nodded silently in confirmation. "Expect him to be agile as well as strong. We can use the trees as cover for ourselves, but I think it'll be a better benefit to him than us."

"And unlike us, he will be trying to actually kill his targets without mercy." Asuna watched as Kirito's eyes darkened, looking away. "I guess we really don't have another choice, do we? Maybe it is nothing but a demon…but the more I hear about what lies ahead, the more I wonder if any of us will still be ourselves when we get out of this place."

The swordsman seemed to clench his hands into fists, staring into his lap. "Killing demons…if we don't do it, everyone here will end up starving to death, Asuna. You know it, and I can already see that is why you are so determined to make it out of here in one piece. Still…can any of us really expect something like this to just leave us the same?"

"You make it sound like you're happy to have changed" Kleine looked at him sadly, shaking his head. "I get being determined, Kirito, but there are some things that you just can't come back from."

"Yet it is something we all must learn to deal with on our own." Erza looked towards the creator, crossing her arms over her chest. "A place like this is not meant to be left. For all intents and purposes, Aincrad is our home. Considering the only escape is by killing a man who does not exist…well, I'd say we are more likely to perish here than outside at this point."

A shudder went through Asuna. As much as she wanted to stay away from the coldness of her family, this was never the way she wanted to get out. Kirito wasn't himself anymore, and she was being forced to work with the man keeping so many people suffering in this place. "Besides, what's so bad about killing a demon? I've seen one of those monsters, so trust me, it won't be all that bad, Asuna!" Natsu's words came to her, but it still wasn't right.

Looking up, she narrowed her eyes at the creator. "It still doesn't change a thing…none of this does. On the next floor…you say there's a grave you want to visit, belonging to someone in reality that died. If she were alive right now, someone you loved, would you honestly be able to tell me you wouldn't want to get out of this place? Because that need to be with the people we care about…that is what is driving all of us. If you can't understand that…then you are no more human than the demons you've created in this twisted world of yours."

He met her gaze, hearing her passionate words but remaining almost expressionless in response. "Actually…if she were still alive, outside of these walls…I would be relieved, to know I could not reach her." Asuna could only stare at him. Yet, Kirito looked troubled, glancing at him with concern in his dark eyes. What did he know? Something was missing to this puzzle, something Kirito had already figured out. "And if you seek to judge me…then consider, have you known what loss feels like?"

She had an odd sinking feeling as she nodded, his dark eyes almost piercing into her heart as he gazed at her. "And do you not fear the return of such an emotion?" Pressing a hand to her chest, Asuna bit her lip and wondered what he was trying to get at. "Outside of these walls…that is all I've ever known. Loss, suffering, despair…guilt. An endless cycle eating away until nothing remains…yet here, I can pretend such things no longer exist. True, it is never escapable, not completely…but is it not worth an attempt to find some form of solace?"

Closing her eyes, Asuna could only look away. She had no answer for him, not when she could hear the emptiness in his voice that only emphasized how much his pain had eaten away at him. So, she focused on the one thing she had in mind at the moment, the only thing that would turn this conversation away from the dark turn it had taken. "Now is not the time. If you know where this demon is…get ready, because we're taking it down today and moving on with our lives. Then, we'll just be one step closer to finding some clue as to who it is we need to stop to get out of this place."

"Alright, finally! I've been wondering when we'd finally actually go and fight something." Natsu grinned, while the creator rose to his feet, smiling faintly at him.

Nearby, Kirito stretched as well, glancing at Asuna with a small smile as well. "Then it looks like we'll be leading the way. Are you ready to head out, Asuna? It'll be like old times…only with a much different team than anything our guild would send us out with."

Laughing quietly, Asuna nodded and grabbed his hand. Maybe she was angry at him, but her anger never lasted long. Right now, she didn't want to focus on it anyway. With the creator's words lingering in her head, she needed the warmth of his hand on hers to remind herself that there was still something bright in the world to keep fighting for. So long as there was a reason to fight, she would keep pushing onward until they were all back in reality where they belonged.

 **Please review and tell me what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of SAO or Fairy Tail

It was rather clear that Asuna wasn't too happy with him. Kirito figured that would be the case when he first showed back up. After sneaking Zeref in through town, he had at least hoped she would let go of it enough to welcome him back. Still, what he had gotten was enough. She wasn't questioning why he did what he did, and she seemed to be even willing to work with him. Zeref had been hesitant to take this path to move forward, but Kirito had insisted on asking for help from his friends. It seemed like the guy's desire to see Mavis' grave was enough to let go of any apprehension he had towards coming here.

Traveling with them was interesting as well, to say the least. Zeref was quiet, much like he used to be when Kirito first met the guy. He stayed to himself, often observing Natsu from a distance. That look he kept giving Natsu only confirmed what Kirito suspected about the dragon slayer. Somehow, he really was Zeref's brother it seemed. Yet, Natsu seemed oblivious to the entire thing. He laughed and chatted with the rest of the group, and pretty soon, it was feeling like Zeref was the only one not talking. Kirito got dragged in fairly early on into the conversation, catching up with Asuna and Kleine on how things had been going. Plus, Erza seemed to be welcoming to him as well, asking how his training had progressed. He didn't realize they had become friends in that short time before, but she apparently remembered him.

Overall, it was nice. Kirito missed moments like this, where he could talk to his friends and just relax. Sure, he could do that with Zeref, but he was still spending most of his time trying to convince the man to give up on Aincrad. He mentioned trying to find some third option for escape, but Zeref wasn't having it. He said that maybe he could help explain why to Kirito on the next floor, where he could show some of the places from his memory rather than just speaking about it. While what he had told the others was true about the layout, Zeref had told Kirito a little bit more about what to expect. He said it wasn't just a memoir of Mavis. The second floor was where he had planned to spend his existence in this place, as it also held a memoir to Natsu and his own past before he was immortal. What that memoir was still remained a mystery, but Kirito had a feeling it would not be improving Zeref's mindset at all.

Getting to the demon was actually a fairly simple task. The path was straightforward, and Zeref had told Kirito pretty much exactly where to look. After training for so long with the black wizard, Kirito was beginning to understand his point when it came to being more direct with his attacks. However, it did not mean he was willing to fight like that against another person. It would help against the demon, but he had promised to himself that he would never do that again. He would find another way around the problems that would arise in the future, one that did not involve more killing.

Zeref had taken one of the weapons from the second town while they were there, so he was no longer trying to borrow Kirito's second blade. However, the plain steel weapon seemed too bland for the man meant to be from legends. He wore it much like Kirito did his blades, sheathed behind his back. The sheath had replaced his white sash, also helping him move a bit more freely without the heavy fabric weighing him down. Yet, from sparring with him, Kirito knew that Zeref was lacking as well. He had almost no self-defense instincts, which the man did not even seem concerned about. Zeref admitted it came from being used to his immortal existence, but that it wouldn't matter if he died anyway because he had not perfected that skill.

"Weirdly, we haven't had any more encounters with that dark guild since you last left, Kirito." Asuna was continuing on her update. This comment, however, seemed to bring Zeref out of his sullen silence.

"That is because they are dead." He did not explain how, but a shudder went through Kirito at the coldness in his words. Zeref had disappeared often for a while, and eventually, Kirito had set out to figure out why. When he saw Zeref slaughtering an entire group of people, he had his answer. That sight would never clear from his mind, and it always made him sick to think about.

Asuna looked at him, blinking for a moment and biting her lip. However, Natsu frowned at him instead. "Really? I guess we didn't have to worry about them after all. Did you run into them after they starved or something?"

Meeting his gaze, Zeref shook his head. "I killed them. They were useless to the overall intent of this world, after all."

"And if you hadn't…they would have attempted to do the same to us." Erza spoke quietly, her voice hard as she avoided Zeref's gaze. "Perhaps I do not agree with your methods, but I cannot argue with the end result. If it means protecting my comrades…while I will not do the same, I cannot claim to begrudge you for keeping them alive."

"Well I can!" Natsu glared over at Zeref, scowling in irritation. "Why the hell would you do something so stupid? I mean, if we lose people who know how to fight, how the hell are we going to handle all these super powerful demons you keep mentioning? Maybe we could have made them our allies or something later on."

Laughing nervously, Kirito rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think that would have worked…they seemed to think the plan for this world was to trap everyone inside so we could all die."

"And such fools do not deserve to exist, if they simply live to kill." Zeref did not seem troubled by the concept, but his dark gaze lingered on Natsu, a small frown on his face. "If you are so concerned about the demons, you are more than welcome to join us, Natsu. I would be happy to help train you as well to deal with them on future floors."

"Wait…what?" Klein blinked at him, his eyes wide. "You're telling me that any of us can just decide to follow you around and train? You'd tell us all about what is in this castle, and how to beat it? That's awesome! Asuna, why didn't we think of doing this before?"

"Because we had no idea where the creator was, idiot." Asuna narrowed her eyes at him, while Klein continued to look excited about the idea.

However, Zeref watched him, slowly shaking his head. "That was not my intent. If you…if you truly knew a thing about me, none of you would wish to come."

"I know more about you than they do. Yet, I would not be opposed to learning more about this world we live in from you." Erza spoke, meeting his gaze.

This time, Zeref did not reply, his eyes locked on Natsu. "My offer was extended towards Natsu. Perhaps my assessment is inaccurate, but the fact remains that the only person I invited to accompany me was him."

"Why me?"

"Because I know you."

Kirito watched, seeing the frown on Natsu's face. Sighing, he shook his head and moved towards the dragon slayer, patting his back gently. "You'll get used to it…eventually. He doesn't like being all that direct when he speaks."

Nodding, Natsu smiled for a moment. "Yeah? Well, I don't think he can offer me much in training either. I think I could take him in a fight pretty easily."

"I thought the same thing…until I realized what he does for a living outside of this castle."

"Did." Zeref spoke swiftly, looking towards Kirito. "That life is behind us all now. I have no intention of returning to it again."

"Right…" Kirito sighed, focusing on where they were heading instead. The grasslands were clearing away, turning into an almost jungle-like landscape. It looked more green than the forest they first encountered, and the wildlife had changed as well. Zeref and Kirito had gone hunting in this jungle before, finding panthers and monkeys as opposed to the wolves and boars from before. However, Zeref said that deep in the jungle was where the vulcan-like demon existed. It would stand out, because unlike usual forest vulcans, it would have yellow fur, light enough to be considered blond. Zeref had said that this demon was a bit odd in appearance, taking on the arms of a vulcan with intelligent green eyes. He said he'd designed it to be rather intelligent in comparison to some of the others, so Kirito should be prepared for little patterns in attacks as it continuously adjusted its strategy.

The noises of the jungle were getting quieter, indicating they were close. The fewer animals nearby were supposed to indicate that they were too afraid to approach the being in this area. It was the demon's territory, but when Kirito saw it, he stopped. It looked like a girl, at first sight. The demon was short, with blond hair just as Zeref had described. However, upon seeing them the quick glimpse of her actual face vanished as she transformed into a massive beast. "Who dares intrude upon my territory?" The female voice was angered, and behind him, he saw Zeref incline his head faintly.

"I knew this was the right choice…one last chance to see your face…" He murmured under his breath, while Erza and Natsu blinked at him with wide eyes.

"Why the hell did you model this thing after Mavis?"

Natsu's objection was not responded to, as the demon was already charging forward. Zeref dodged to the side, while Kirito quickly drew his blade. He moved forward, lashing out with his sword towards the monstrous vulcan's leg. It reacted faster than he expected, pulling back and kicking him hard. He went flying back into the nearby tree, while Asuna tried her own hand at jumping into the fray. By her side, Erza seemed to join as well, using Asuna's attack as a distraction to try and hit the beast's side with a slashing arc. However, Asuna's flashing rapier seemed to be an ineffective distraction as the beast jumped into the trees above them, avoiding both blows.

"Damn it…makes me wish we had Sinon with us. She excels at fighting from a distance." Klein spoke, looking nervous as he gazed at the trees above them.

Grinning, Natsu picked up a stick from the ground, focusing upward. "Oh yeah? I bet I can annoy it into coming back down for a bit." Taking aim, Natsu threw the stick at the demon, hitting it but doing little beyond getting its attention. The creature looked down towards him, letting out a growl as it jumped down from the trees towards the pink haired boy. However, Zeref moved forward as it did so, a glare on his face.

"Leave him alone!" With a strength Kirito didn't realize Zeref possessed, the man threw his weight into the beast's fur, shoving it off balance and ruining its aim. Just before it hit the ground, both of them tumbled together onto their sides as Zeref tackled the demon, but that led to a different problem. Seeing the vulcan-like creature moving to crush Zeref in its grip, Kirito dashed forward with his blade. However, Natsu was already there, reaching down and ripping Zeref from its grip at the last second. Coming up from behind them as Zeref was freed, Kirito let out a cry as he lashed out with his sword. It slashed into the demon's chest, leaving a bleeding cut within its rough skin. Letting out a roar, the demon charged towards Kirito in anger, while the swordsman stayed focused and sidestepped to avoid the mauling.

Looking excited, Natsu grinned over at Zeref as the demon turned back around, readying for another attack. "You know, I think I kinda like having you around. It's definitely interesting to have you in a fight, Kayaba."

Zeref blinked, frowning. "I told you that is not—" He broke off as the demon charged back towards him, just barely managing to leap to the side to avoid the fist being directed towards his head. "—my name."

"Yeah? Well, I gotta call you something and that's the only name you've given any of us thus far."

This was Zeref's choice to reveal, not his. Kirito instead focused on furthering their advantage, rushing at the demon from its back while it was focused on Zeref and Natsu. Recovering from their own failed attack, Asuna and Erza moved to stand by his side, nodding towards him. They split off, moving towards the sides of the beast while Kirito charged towards the center of its back. The only escape it had was upward, and from what he could see, Kleine had somehow managed to cover even that. The brunette had climbed one of the trees and seemed to be balancing one one of the limbs, his sword ready to slash out in some way if the creature jumped.

Meanwhile, the demon attempted to slam another fist into Zeref, this time aiming for his side. The former wizard was not fast enough this time, getting sent flying into a tree and grunting as his back was likely bruised. Kirito winced at the sight, wondering if anything had broken in the hit as well. However, he didn't have time for distraction. "Damn it, you bastard! I was trying to talk to him. Get out of the way!" Natsu charged the beast head on, just as Kirito and the two girls reached him. Asuna's rapier seemed to hit first while the demon was focused on Natsu's incoming sword. The creature roared in anger, lashing out by slamming a fist down on Natsu's blade. It just barely missed the dragon slayer himself, but it crushed the sword in the process and left him unarmed.

Getting up from the ground, Zeref seemed to observe as the demon turned on Asuna. Erza arrived at that moment, now having the chance to stab through the beast's back right side with her own blade. She spun around, cutting through its skin with a slashing moment quickly after stabbing into it before jumping back to give it some space. The beast turned again, trying to target her as it noticed the newfound pain. Meanwhile, Kirito tried to lash out and finish it off, aiming higher on its chest to try and get at its heart. However, the demon was too large, making his sword only barely reach into its middle back instead.

With an angry growl, the demon jumped upward again, reaching for one of the branches to try and recover. Meanwhile, Zeref moved towards them, glancing at Natsu who seemed determined to stay in the battle even unarmed. However, Zeref met his gaze and shook his head. "It is best if you stay back. You do not stand a chance against her in hand to hand combat."

"Yeah? And you do?"

Looking away, Zeref lowered his gaze. "None of us do." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "And as for your previous comment…I suppose enough time has passed that it would do well for you to understand the truth of this situation. You wish to know who I am? It will not be pleasant to hear of this, but I no longer see the point of keeping it hidden if that is what you wish."

"Wait, why would it bother us to know your name?" Asuna looked lost, while Kirito looked away.

"Because…he's kinda a well-known figure. I can't think of a single person who hasn't heard of him."

Looking at Kirito, Asuna bit her lower lip and nodded in response to his words, before glancing back up to keep a wary eye on the resting demon. The beast was breathing hard, while Klein seemed to realize he was out of range and began descending from his perch on the tree. "So? Who cares who you were outside of this castle?" Natsu glared back up at the demon, scowling in irritation. "I can't think of a single person in this place that has even bothered to focus on that recently. Treasure hunter, wizard, merchant…we're all stuck here together. You created this place…but that doesn't mean you're not just as trapped as the rest of us, right?"

Meeting his gaze, Zeref seemed to grow silent, his black eyes wide. Kirito grinned at Natsu's words, always amused with how he managed to say the right thing without even realizing it. Zeref slowly began to smile faintly, chuckling under his breath. "I suppose that is correct. Very well…then I suppose the time has truly come. My name is Zeref…and as my legacy states, I am known for making demons of this nature." His gaze flickered upward towards the beast, softening for a moment. "Despite the inspiration for this one…I believe there are some things more important to preserve. It has threatened something important to me…and it is only the same in appearance, not personality."

He seemed to tighten his grip on his sword, while Kirito turned towards him with a frown. The swordsman couldn't remember Zeref mentioning modeling his demon after anyone or anything. So, why did he seem bothered by his decision? Natsu only grinned at the introduction, not seeming bothered at all. However, Klein and Asuna stared at him with wide eyes, glancing towards Kirito after a moment. "Zeref? You mean…like the guy that murdered all those people four hundred years ago?" Klein looked nervous, while Zeref simply nodded in confirmation.

"No way…so he really did just trap us here to die…" Asuna looked terrified, while Zeref shook his head at that.

"Pointless death has little appeal to me." He moved forward, sheathing his sword and offering a hand upward towards the beast. Kirito watched with a frown, wondering what form of plan he had in mind. "This castle is a new world…a way to reject the world that I once lived in, in favor of another. Perhaps to you it seems like a place filled with death…but for me, it is a place filled with the few aspects of reality that I actually enjoyed. A place filled with faces like hers…" He trailed off, while the demon actually seemed to calm down at his newly unarmed state. It looked wary of the rest of them, but it still slowly climbed down and stood before Zeref, towering over the small man.

Natsu moved to charge forward, but Kirito held out an arm to block him, shaking his head. "He's got a plan. I don't know what it is…but you should stay back just in case."

Asuna was still tense, but she watched nonetheless as Zeref reached forward, pressing his palm to the creature's chest. "Please…I want to see her face once more. Let me see her…" He trailed off, and light seemed to surround the creature. Once more, the girl stood in its place. This time, it wasn't such a brief sighting that details were missed. Long blond hair hung over her shoulders, with a dark black dress covering her body. Green eyes gazed towards them, looking oddly confused as Zeref's hand now ended up pressed against her shoulder.

"Do…do I know you? I feel as if I should…but you still attacked me. All of you tried to…tried to hurt me." She wrapped her arms around her chest, which now seemed to be staining with blood in her human-like form. The dress' white ruffling down the center was becoming more red, even staining into the blue ribbon tied around her waist. "I was scared…and angry. I'm still angry…but you stopped fighting. Why did you stop?"

The confusion in her gaze was evident, as was the stunned expressions on both Natsu's and Erza's face. "First…." Erza didn't say anything further, while Natsu just clenched his hands into fists at the sight.

Directly in front of her, Zeref had an oddly soft expression on his face. Kirito had never seen him look like that, gazing into his demon's face as if she were something vastly important to him. He reached out, touching the side of her head and brushing aside the hair resting there. "Because I miss her. I've always missed her…" He closed his eyes, reaching forward and pulling the demon closer. Kirito did not understand why he was doing this, hugging her now that she looked human. Yet, he seemed to be unable to stop himself from drawing her to his chest, clutching her close to him. "And yet, you are not her. You threaten the few near me that might understand…and for that, you must become exactly like her."

Frowning, Kirito took a single step forward. "Zeref, what—" He broke off, his eyes widening as Zeref moved swiftly, drawing his blade again in one quick motion. Before Kirito could even think to finish his question, Zeref drove his sword through her chest, making the girl choke and cough up blood. It dripped down her chin, her green eyes growing wide as Zeref pushed her back slightly, only supporting her by gripping her upper arms on both sides of her swaying body.

"Wh-why?" She choked out the word, reaching towards him as she fell back. Her body slumped over, and for the first time, Kirito watched as Zeref cried over the fallen form of someone he had killed.

A shaking seemed to rumble in the ground. From the jungle floor just a little ways in front of them, a spiral staircase seemed to grow from nothing, sprouting like a tree and growing upward into the sky. It even fit in with the jungle around them, made of wood with vines clinging to the sides as it grew. However, Zeref did not move from where he held the body of his demon. Kirito moved forward now, reaching over and pressing a hand to his shoulder. Zeref glanced up, looking startled as he met Kirito's eyes, gentle with a sympathetic smile on his face. "It's going to be alright, Zeref. I don't know who you made that demon to look like…but that demon wasn't her."

"But I still killed her. I always knew…somehow, I knew this would happen. That I would do this again…" He broke off, closing his eyes. Zeref inhaled deeply, before letting the girl drop to the ground and rising to his feet. "Regardless, it is done and there is nothing left to concern ourselves over. That staircase leads to the next floor, after all. I believe it is time for us to begin exploring what lies ahead."

"But the others—"

"They'll still be there when we return." Erza spoke, interrupting Asuna's worried comment. "I do believe a scouting mission led by the creator of this castle himself is ideal to know what lies ahead, before bringing everyone into contact with the dangers that lie ahead."

Still, Natsu was gazing at the back of Zeref's head, not quite recovering as quickly as Erza had. His eyes were narrowed, and after a moment, he spoke as if he had been completely ignoring every comment since the demon turned back into a girl. "You knew Mavis…didn't you?" Zeref stiffened but did not reply. "She isn't dead, you know. I don't know how you knew her…but I read something in Gramps' office about it. I don't think I was supposed to know…but it talked about her still watching over our guild when we need her. I didn't get much of it—"

"Natsu, that isn't going to help." Kirito stopped him, but the black wizard had turned and focused on Natsu as he spoke. There was something dark in those eyes, almost like a haunted pain that Zeref often kept hidden from the world.

The dragon slayer met those eyes head on, not turning away. "He needs to hear it. After all, isn't he upset because she's gone? If Gramps says she's still around in some form, he's right. Our first master watches over all of us, even if we don't see her."

"That…is that why I sensed her?" He was quiet, looking up into the sky above them. Oddly, it looked more solid than it did before, as if a ripple had formed in the illusionary sky when the staircase grew and broke through into whatever existed in the next floor. "Always, I felt as if she was near. Ever since I went to the island…but I thought it was just wishful thoughts. An imaginative mind, trying to continue my endless torment which I know I have earned…was she always there?"

Moving forward, Natsu clapped a hand on his arm, nodding with a smile. "I bet she was. If she's from Fairy Tail, and you were her friend, then I know she'd stick by your side. That's what our guild is always about, after all. We treat our friends like family, no matter who they are or what they've done in the past. And now…I think you could be our friend too, Zeref. You don't seem like a bad guy anymore, after all. If you keep helping us out like this, maybe things will start looking up and we'll figure out how to get back to the guild one day."

There was an odd light in Zeref's gaze after hearing Natsu's words, however his smile was almost bitter. "It was that very friendship that caused her fate. Perhaps she does exist in some form…it would be fitting, all things considered. Regardless…whatever fate has in store for us, I will never be able to return."

Biting her lip, Asuna moved forward and shook her head at him. "I wouldn't say that." She glanced towards Kirito, giving the swordsman a small smile and reaching for his hand. "We're all working together, right? So long as we keep a goal in mind…I'm certain we'll find a way to help you get back, if that's what you want. Who cares if you designed this castle to be impossible to escape? We've got the most diverse team of people here, with so many different backgrounds…someone here has to have some kind of an idea on how to escape."

"And that just might be an even worse fate." Zeref did not elaborate, though Kirito knew the reason for his words. He watched as the man simply began moving forward towards the stairs, not looking at any of them as he did so. Klein glanced towards Kirito, raising his eyebrows, but the swordsman simply shook his head. There was no explaining this to them, not if he wanted Zeref to keep on living. Someone in this place would be willing to kill Zeref to escape one day, and Kirito was not going to be the one to further their ability to do so. Even if they did find some other path of escape, Zeref's own suffering would never end, not with the curse that he had not found a cure for in four hundred years of time. The best he could ever hope for was a way to cope with what the curse would bring, and that was something even Kirito did not know how to teach him to do.

With a sigh, Kirito began to follow after Zeref, with the others slowly joining him. He just briefly got to get a glimpse of what existed in the next floor. Colorful trees surrounded them, and they stood in a clearing with a stone grave before them, resting within tree roots growing and making the ground rough and difficult to walk across. An odd light seemed to shine from a hole within the top of the grave. As Kirito stared at it, however, he felt the ground vanish from beneath his feet. In an instant, everything in front of his gaze was gone and replaced with the cold sensation of the open air. Zeref let out an odd shout, glancing towards the others with wide eyes. Bracing himself, Kirito waited for what he knew was coming. After all, there had been no warning, and at this point, he had no doubt that Zeref was growing to value their lives. With his curse, that meant this was the end for all of them, so he reached for Asuna's hand and gripped it tightly, wanting to have her as close to him as he could in his last moments of life as they began falling from the sky.

 **Please review and tell me what you think!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or Sword Art Online

Traveling to the floating castle took a lot less time than Gildarts expected it to take. August's airship was a far faster method of travel than the boats, walking, and trains Gildarts had taken to get into Alvarez. However, that didn't mean he still didn't have his fair share of worries during the trip. The old man didn't strike Gildarts as a pilot, not when he clearly showed he was more masterful in magic than anything else. Yet, his worries proved to be unfounded when August flew with little issues, letting Gildarts sit in the co-pilot's seat of the airship for the ride.

Overall, the elderly man was quiet. Gildarts didn't know much of what to make of him. He was kind, yet he seemed determined in an odd way. The crease in his brow and the frown on his face only emphasized his concern for this emperor he was searching for. Meanwhile, Gildarts wasn't certain how to feel about the guy. If he had trapped Gildarts' friends, shouldn't this emperor be his enemy? Yet, it was also August's friend, and he owed the guy for taking care of him after that black dragon's attack.

Either way, just thinking about it in silence wasn't helping. Traveling wasn't either, but it was at least moving forward. So, with Gildarts directing August towards the area where the castle was still located, they arrived in almost record time. As the airship landed, they seemed to have startled the group of rune knights gathering around and setting up camp to keep an eye on the massive thing. Gildarts walked out, with August following shortly after. Approaching the ship was a man with dark black hair and violet eyes, gazing at them steadily with a small frown. "What business do you have here? This spell is under the watch of the Magic Council, and we do not appreciate having random wizards interfering with our work."

Waving at him, Gildarts gave a small smile. "The name's Gildarts, and I'm from Fairy Tail. I'm here in response to the job request sent out about this thing?"

The rune knight studied him for a moment, glancing towards the other man before sighing and inclining his head. "Right. I had forgotten it was still out, considering how we never received a response to such a request. I am Captain Lahar, and we are currently attempting to ascertain exactly what form of spell allows for entry and exit to this castle. Teleportation is obviously key, but there appears to be some form of ward interfering as well. Do you and your companion have some expertise in the field of identifying unknown spells?"

Glancing towards August, Gildarts hesitated. The elderly man inclined his head, watching the rune knight carefully. "While I am not involved in a guild myself, my companion came to me and requested my aid for this very reason. The spell you are investigating is actually more complex than what you are likely imagining. Tell me, just how much have you uncovered?"

The rune knight seemed to look uncomfortable, glancing behind him at the swarm of bodies seeming to be standing guard at the castle. In their midst, however, a single man stood out as the only one not dressed in a rune knight's robes. Dark blue hair hung down over his forehead as the man seemed to sit on the ground, leaning over sheets of paper that had been scattered in front of where he rested. A pencil was in his hand, being used to expand upon whatever was written down in the sheets, but as Gildarts watched him write, he spotted the linked cuffs connecting his arms together as he continued his work under the watchful eyes of his captors.

Sighing, Lahar seemed to cave in and began walking towards them. "You'll have to inquire him about that. While he has spoken to us about what he has uncovered…he is the one who has been working more hands on with the castle than us. Unfortunately, his ability in identifying unusual magic does exceed that of most of our numbers…so we had no choice but to make a deal with him."

"So long as you gain that which you seek, is it not worth the sacrifice?" August studied the rune knight for a moment, who met his gaze with a raised eyebrow.

"You say that like you don't care that a wanted criminal is no longer facing the justice he deserves."

Shrugging, August moved closer to said criminal, with Gildarts and Lahar following close behind. "That is because I find there is little that can't be forgiven, if given time. What one person calls justice is often vengeance in disguise, and punishments of that nature can be cruel and prevent forgiveness from being earned."

Looking up, the criminal seemed to have heard his words and frowned slightly. "An odd perspective, to say the least. Who is to say that vengeance would not be deserved as well? For even I must admit, there is no atoning for the things I have done."

August studied him for a moment, before smiling faintly in amusement. "How interesting. You seem to hold the same mindset as my emperor in that regard." Holding out a hand, August sat down in front of him. "I am August of the Alvarez Empire. It is a pleasure to meet the one attempting to unravel the secrets of this spell before us."

Taking his hand, the blue haired wizard seemed to frown. "I am Jellal…former member of the wizard council. I've heard much about your nation, August. Are you still the threat to Fiore I once knew you to be?"

"Perhaps. That is not for me to decide." He glanced towards the castle, while Gildarts wondered just what could be done in the first place. The thing was huge, taking up more space than anything he expected. Seeing it, he could understand why it would take such a large group to thoroughly explore it. However, the mystery remained of why no one else could enter and why no one had left since the job began. "What have you discovered about this castle?"

Looking towards it, Jellal frowned. "It is the strangest thing I've encountered. The structure seems to have been built using magic dampening stone, meaning it blocks magic for all within. Yet, there are spells interwoven on the outside…some seeming to manage to work around the very properties of the stone itself to allow specific spellwork to remain intact and actually usable throughout. As far as entering goes…there is little to see for a physical entrance, meaning magic is required. Yet, there are odd wards that interfere with teleportation spells, meaning we are unaware of what form of entrance is needed."

"Because his spell to enter created that very seal." Gildarts glanced up at it, frowning as he sighed. "That's what I would have done, anyway, if I wanted to trap everyone inside. Once I got everyone where I wanted, I'd make sure no rescue could come and interfere…which explains quite a bit, actually."

Nodding, August smiled faintly at him. "That would be correct. Though, it does not mean it is impossible to enter. One must simply unravel the ward first."

"And you think we haven't been trying?" Lahar interrupted, narrowing his eyes at them. "That ward is impenetrable, made using magic the likes of which we haven't seen in years. We've been pulling out ancient journals from the Council's library to even interpret the form of ward made, and we haven't even gotten that far quite yet."

Nodding, Jellal folded his hands in his lap. "Indeed. To put it simply…whoever made this is an expert in magic and wards. There is no denying the skill level of the enemy before us, if they could construct something this powerful without anyone even realizing what was being done."

"And I'm willing to bet that ward physically protects the castle too, right?" Gildarts glanced towards them, seeing Jellal nod. Rubbing the back of his head, the crush wizard sighed and closed his eyes. "Great. Then it looks like I might not be all that useful here. My specialty lies in destroying things, which means until that ward is gone, I'm pretty much useless."

Looking upward, August seemed to frown. "Actually…I see no issue in unraveling the entire castle."

Silence seemed to fill the air for a moment. Jellal blinked at him, slowly shaking himself out of his daze. "Pardon? You make it sound as if the structure itself is magic."

"It is." August stared at it, smiling faintly. "That was what it was designed to be, in fact. An entire structure, with the entrance and exit sealed utilizing bio-link magic. Upon the death of a specific individual, it is meant to trigger a self-destruct magic circle, which will destroy the entire structure before us. All we must do is trigger it before that individual's death and the castle will vanish, freeing those within." He paused for a moment, looking back at the others. "That is, if you believe you can determine a method of protecting them from the free fall that will result from the loss of the building keeping them airborne."

"And how would you know of this? You have barely been staring at this castle for five minutes." Lahar narrowed his eyes at the elderly man. "We've been here for months, and if there was any spell of the nature you are describing, we would have—"

"I know the man who made it." August interrupted, meeting the rune knight's narrowed eyes. "He is misguided, and if you choose to persecute him for this, I assure you it will be your biggest mistake. The only reason I came to assist is because I wish for his safe return. Now, do you think yourselves capable of saving those within if the castle crumbles into nothing?"

"Wait…you make it sound like you can undo this spell already without even taking the time to think out the procedure or anything." Gildarts blinked at him, while August smiled faintly.

"Because I can."

He gave no further explanation, leaving Gildarts glancing at the others with uncertainty. Sure, he trusted August's abilities. Yet, this was beyond what he had expected from the other man. However, Jellal slowly rose to his feet, nodding in agreement. "We should be able to make do. Lahar, have the air users prepare a wind barrier beneath the castle. That should slow their fall. I will use my meteor to catch them as they drop. Any that near the ground…I believe you mentioned wizards with plant based magic here, correct?" Lahar nodded, while Jellal glanced up at the castle. "They will assist in catching the falling wizards then. Any who possesses magic of a soft nature…something that could cushion the fall should line the ground with whatever it is they wield."

"I do believe we have a few unusual wizards in our numbers. One actually controls and creates cotton…and I believe there is another that specializes in feathers."

Gildarts had never heard of such a thing, but Jellal simply nodded and orders began heading out. The rune knights sprung into action, and before long, the grassy plains in front of them were covered in white fluff, a mixture of magic forming an odd barrier. Gildarts could see the feathers and cotton, sure, but there was also what looked like fluffy clouds on the ground with water pooling beneath all of it. Overall, it looked like it would at least lessen the pain, if not stop them from hitting the ground if they did not get caught beforehand.

Giving August a quick nod, Jellal stood his ground in preparation to help. The elderly man raised his hand, a focused expression growing on his face. For a moment, he did nothing but bow his head, speaking quietly under his breath. "I am sorry…I know this is not what you desired, but it is what we need. Return to your rest…and to us."

Then, the man lifted his gaze, light erupting in his hand. It shot forward, slamming into the castle and sending an odd shimmer throughout the air surrounding it. Something seemed to shudder, coming down as if unwrapping the castle from a casing of light. When the light began to drop further down, a massive dark purple magic circle was revealed to exist underneath, pulsing and glowing in front of them all. Gildarts stared at it, feeling an oddly ominous aura from the magic it held just before it activated. A massive burst of light seemed to fill the sky as the castle itself seemed to just vanish. It wasn't as if it exploded, or the pieces crumbled away. Oddly, it just looked as if the castle was there one moment, and then gone the next with a flash of light. In its place, Gildarts could see the wide eyed expressions of wizards filling the sky. However, that was when August vanished from his side, leaving Gildarts lost as to what was going on.

Jellal got to work quickly, moving to begin catching them as they fall. His magic really was something special, but it was nothing when compared to the sickening feeling he got at the growing power somewhere in the middle of the wizards above them. Looking up, he finally spotted what was bothering him, seeing a speck of darkness growing off to the side of the majority of the people there. August seemed to be near him, with the crazy old man holding out his hands, glowing with a white light that seemed to be fighting against the darkness trying to spread out from the man he was near. Meanwhile, wizards above them that had the ability to do so joined in helping the rescues. Teleportation magic was used rather swiftly to bring everyone safely to the ground, rendering the magically created cushion of random material useless.

"Get back!" A voice began shouting as soon as it was on the ground, coming from a young male with black hair and two swords hanging on his back. "Everyone, get away from here now!"

Those closest to him seemed to listen, moving away and warily glancing at the man August stood near. Surprisingly, Gildarts could see Natsu and Erza near that guy, making him wonder what kind of friends they had made on this adventure. Still, that ominous feeling was enough to make him take a few steps back himself, not wanting to get caught up in the mess that was about to explode before them. As the crowd began to do as requested, a space was cleared in the field. With that space, August seemed to move away himself, reappearing back by Gildarts' side with a dark look in his gaze. As soon as he vanished, that black magic exploded, encompassing the entire area that had just been covered in shadow from the castle that once floated above it.

"What the hell just happened?" A familiar voice spoke from his other side, making Gildarts blink in surprise at Natsu. "We finally got to the next floor! This is so disappointing…all that fighting for nothing. At least we got to show Zeref that he could get out alive too, anyway."

"Yeah…but what exactly did we do?" A brunette by his side spoke, dressed in a white uniform with a rapier in her hand.

Shrugging, the dragon slayer looked around, before blinking in surprise at the man by his side. "Dunno—wait, Gildarts? You're back! Come on, fight me already and show me how strong I've—" Gildarts slammed a fist on his head, not in the mood for his antics already. Sighing, he glanced towards August and raised his eyebrows.

"I've gotta say…this isn't what I was expecting. What the heck is even wrong with that guy anyway?"

August looked sadly into the center of the magic, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, he looked towards Gildarts, a sad smile on his face. "That is exactly what makes him believe he cannot be forgiven for his own actions. Look upon this sight well…for no man can take on the role of god without feeling the suffering of a true punishment."

"He doesn't deserve it, though." The same boy who told everyone to run spoke, glancing towards the man. "I don't know who you think he is…but he doesn't deserve it. All that he did was try and help others. He knows what he did was wrong…and he's learned his lesson."

"Perhaps, but this world is cruel and does not forgive easily, despite us wishing it could do otherwise." Gildarts frowned at that, glancing towards August.

"Didn't you just say forgiveness was easy to earn? That's nothing but a contradiction, if you ask me."

Meeting the old man's gaze, the swordsman from before narrowed his eyes. "A contradiction, huh? I'm going to take a wild guess and say you know exactly what this is, then."

Nodding, the elderly man still wore his sad smile, even as the black magic finally began to fade away from sight. "Indeed I do. After all…I am his majesty's most loyal servant of all." Looking towards the boy, he frowned for a moment. "Though…I suppose I am glad he did manage to encounter one who did not hate him for that which he did. I was aware of what this spell was meant to entail…yet it appears as if he managed to make friends, rather than obtaining the death which he sought."

"Wait, what do you mean?" The strange girl turned around, glancing towards the swordsman who gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah…about that—"

Erza interrupted, however, moving forward and joining them. "Zeref was the one who the entire spell was linked to. Killing him would have freed us…but ending the life of any individual is an inexcusable crime…especially when it is the life of one who has already suffered so much." She lifted her gaze, nodding towards Gildarts. "It is good to see you again. Is everything well back at the guild?"

"As well as it can be without most of our members." He smiled at her, grinning as he saw others scattered throughout the crowd. "Seems like we're all here now, though. Did you manage to do anything interesting while I was away? Because I've got some interesting stories of my own to tell…especially to Natsu."

"And I have my own business to attend to." August looked towards them, nodding swiftly. "After all, his majesty is needed to avert the war. From here, you should be more than capable of returning home on your own."

Giving him one last look, Gildarts nodded and gave him a wave. "Take care, August. And…don't be afraid to stop by and say hello."

"You may regret offering me that invitation one day…Gildarts. There is much you do not understand about myself and his majesty's desires." He looked towards the others, sighing and shaking his head. "One day you will understand. Until then, I suppose I will wish you well in return."

He moved off after that, joining his emperor and speaking in a quiet voice to the man. Rune knights seemed to be trying to approach, but after seeing them, the two vanished completely, likely leaving in the airship August had arrived in. Meanwhile, August glanced back at the rest of the crowd freed from the castle. Natsu and Erza talked about how things were like inside, speaking of adventures of hunting monsters and attacks from dark guilds inside. Really, it didn't sound any different from their usual antics, which was good since it meant they hadn't really been harmed. Overall, he found himself still thinking about the mysterious man who had created the entire thing, the one that left with August after unleashing a haze of magic that killed the entire field in front of them. Sure, the rune knights were investigating it as Fairy Tail's wizards turned to go back home, but it didn't mean it wasn't something to wonder about. Overall, Gildarts realized that magic was just like the castle. It existed and caused a lot of strife, but in the end, there was no way to understand it without the man himself here to elaborate on what caused it. The only person with them that could have explained remained stubbornly silent, insisting that it was his friend's secret to tell and not his own. However, none of them would truly forget their experiences inside, even if they would never be able to understand the mystery behind the castle created by a wizard whose only wish had been to seek out his own odd form of peace in the world.

 **And we have reached the end! I'll admit, I feel like the conclusion of this story was a bit rushed. However, classes are about to start back up, so I didn't quite have as much time for revisions as I would have liked. Either way, feel free to review and tell me what you think! Thank you all so much for reading.**


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